GoFundMe, the online crowdfunding website that raises money for a variety of causes, shut down the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser last week when evidence from law enforcement showed that the event had turned into an occupation with reports of violence and other unlawful activity.
Indeed, while many people participated peacefully in the protest, a cherished democratic right enshrined in our Constitution, the signs were there from the beginning that extremist elements were seeking to co-opt the protest for their own ends. Expressions of hate, antisemitism, far right extremism, and calls to replace the government through undemocratic means have been clearly documented and expressed among organizers and protesters.
Journalists have been threatened, our cherished national monuments were defiled, and Ottawa residents and local businesses have been abused and forced to endure an incredible disruption to their daily lives. Even more concerning is the large number of anonymous and foreign-based donations that were directed towards financing the illegal occupation of our capital.
The fact that many American Republican politicians are now incensed at GoFundMe’s decision to shut down the convoy crowdfunding is a clear signal. After all, this is a party that recently relabeled the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, an event that left 140 police injured and one dead, as “legitimate political discourse.”
On Thursday, Feb. 3, I introduced a motion at the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Public Safety to invite representatives from GoFundMe to appear as soon as possible to answer questions regarding security measures the company has in place to ensure funds are not being used to promote extremism, white supremacy, antisemitism, and other forms of hate.
The motion was unanimously supported by my Liberal, Conservative, and Bloc Quebecois colleagues.
I understand the frustration that many are feeling from two years into the pandemic. It has been a long-drawn out affair, and we all want to be clear of mandates and restrictions as soon as public health considerations allow us to safely do so. That being said, I will not sit idly by while our healthcare workers, who have been fighting COVID-19 on the front lines and working beyond the limits of normal human endurance to keep people alive over the last two years, are subjected to abuse.
I will not sit idly by while our capital city comes under siege, its residents and businesses forced to endure assaults and verbal abuse.
I will not sit idly by while misinformation and disinformation about vaccines and the COVID-19 pandemic undermine our public health efforts. I will not sit idly by when Nazi symbols, antisemitism, white supremacy, and other forms of hate rear their ugly head.
If there is evidence that foreign and anonymous funding is fueling extremism in Canada, I can assure you that our parliamentary committee will get to the bottom of it.