Effectively, I wasn’t anticipating this, @RBC.
Welcome to Canada, the place tyranny has nice customer support. pic.twitter.com/yQI8QUs8pj
— Eva Chipiuk, BSc, LLB, LLM (@echipiuk) July 23, 2025
Banks have the flexibility to debank clients at a second’s discover. Canada efficiently weaponized its banks in opposition to the folks through the Trucker Convoy, a peaceable protest demanding the best to bodily autonomy through the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Lawyer Eva Chipiuk, who represented the Trucker (Freedom) Convoy, acquired discover from the Royal Financial institution of Canada (RBC) that her checking account is being terminated with out correct rationalization.
RBC advised Chipiuk that “current exercise was outdoors of RBC’s shopper threat urge for food,” and the financial institution would “not be able to proceed serving her.” With out additional rationalization, RBC knowledgeable her that she has mere weeks to seek out an alternate financial institution.
“The final interplay I had with RBC earlier than they closed my account was once they froze it after I transferred some cash to buy bitcoin,” Chipiuk advised the Western Customary. “I known as them to substantiate the transaction was professional.” The financial institution’s fraud division then interrogated her with what she felt have been “demeaning questions” earlier than clearing the account and warning her to “watch out with crypto.”
Oh I do know. However that was a part of the issue
For them… I moved some cash. They froze my account. Then lectured me about it earlier than releasing my cash. Have a hear? pic.twitter.com/RZuCoOnpD2— Eva Chipiuk, BSc, LLB, LLM (@echipiuk) July 23, 2025
Eva Chipiuk didn’t commit against the law. She was not accused of against the law or any kind of offense. But, RBC claimed it was “required by legislation to adjust to relevant laws.” The legislation in query has not been clarified. IS RBC threatened by Chipiuk’s connections to the Trucker Convoy or is the financial institution suspicious of her withdrawal to buy bitcoin? Neither scenario is a prison offense, and but, the financial institution has whole authority to debank her with out cause.
We’ve seen this occur all through the world—governments all over the place have efficiently weaponized the banks in opposition to the folks. Banks are usually not held chargeable for their actions, and their clients are usually not granted due course of. That is the principle situation with switching to digitalized foreign money because the banks are already underneath intense authorities surveillance. When you’re on a listing, you’re all the time on the listing. It’s fairly possible that the Canadian authorities had been monitoring Eva Chipiuk for years in an try and pin her with expenses, and since no offense was dedicated, the federal government is legally allowing RBC to debank an individual it deems anti-government.
