That sum came from a campaign launched by a man named Nicholas St. Louis on the Tallycoin platform, we learn in a State of Emergency Inquiry report released Thursday. Dubbed Honk Honk Hodl, the operation reportedly raised about $1.2 million, two-thirds of which went to Trucker.
The distribution was made through envelopes with instructions for accessing around CAD$8,000 in bitcoins from a cellphone, the document said.
These envelopes are in addition to the $500 and $2,000 cash totals mentioned by some rally organizers earlier this week.
The commission’s report confirms that a tiny fraction of the millions raised during or before the occupation of downtown Ottawa may have been used to fund the activities of the so-called “Freedom Convoy.” The remainder was frozen, refunded, or placed in escrow.
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The crowdfunding platform used most by organizers, GiveSendGo, raised $12.4 million. The majority of donors came from the United States.
A message that is difficult to control
In addition to distributing the sums raised online thanks to crowdfunding, communication was a complex issue last winter, said trucker Benjamin Dichter, who headed the cell responsible for communications from downtown Ottawa during the occupation, on Thursday morning.
In an interview with the Commission, Mr Dichter – who once ran for Canada’s Conservative Party for Toronto-Danforth – gave fresh insight into the internal conflicts that beset organizers’ work during the crisis.
For example, the witness, who has been involved in planning the rally since mid-January, denounced one of the organizers’ first appearances on February 4, saying he had then admonished them about the negative tone used that day.
He also said he had asked her to get rid of activist Patrick (Pat) King, who is known for his particularly mean rhetoric, which to his dismay never happened.
Enlarge picture (New window)Benjamin Ditcher said Thursday he came to Ottawa to end health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to spread a message of “peace, love, freedom and unity.”
Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Mr. Dichter also explained why he chose to only work with alternative media such as RT (formerly Russia Today) and Fox News because he disagreed with the narrative of mainstream media such as the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star or the CBC English network by Radio Canada.
These organizations were trying to make a connection between the trucker convoy and the events leading up to the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Capitol that were unrelated, he explained.
The witness also lamented the lack of communication regarding the Feb. 12 agreement between certain organizers and the City of Ottawa to remove trucks from downtown residential areas, which he had to brand on Twitter as fake news.
Rumors about the deal, he said, are fueling unnecessary fear and division among protesters.
To this day, Mr. Ditcher refers to this agreement as a form of surrender which he believes was secretly intended to end the rally.
The Trudeau administration invoked the Emergency Act on February 14, 2022 to end a rally of truckers and other protesters speaking out against COVID-19 health measures affecting downtown Ottawa from Saturday, January 29 through Sunday , 20 February paralyzed.
This law – passed in 1988 as a successor to the War Measures Act – specifically provides that a public inquiry must a fortiori investigate the circumstances which led the authorities to make such a decision.
replace the government
In the afternoon, Alberta trucker James Bauder, one of the first organizers of the convoy, had to explain his statement of intent, which aims to replace the current administration with a coalition of senators from his Canada Unity faction and Governor-General Mary Simon.
It gets emotional when you see our government completely breaking all the laws. Who do we contact? The Senate is our last option. It’s part of their job description, they get paid for it, Mr Bauder commented, accusing the federal government and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of treason, tyranny and crimes against humanity, but without providing any evidence to support his words.
This letter of intent, which Bauder, his wife and another freight forwarding colleague wrote without legal counsel, is important because it was used by the federal government, among other things, to justify resorting to the state of emergency.
Mr. Bauder finally withdrew his minutes on February 8 because the other organizers of the convoy, several of whom have already testified, felt that he was usurping the convoy’s original message concerning health measures and not the overthrow of the government.
Upon arriving at the Rouleau Commission, James Bauder urged journalists to “find lawyers” and later vowed before the judge to sue several media outlets, including CBC.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
A dozen organizers before the commission
Since Tuesday, half a dozen witnesses involved in the occupation of downtown Ottawa have marched before Judge Paul Rouleau, specifically describing the “power struggles” that unfolded at the height of events last winter.
Lead counsel for the rally organizers, Keith Wilson, also revealed on Wednesday that leaks from all police forces were feeding inside information to the Freedom Convoy, prompting a violent backlash.
Other well-known figures among the protesters will be heard through the end of the week, including veteran Jeremy MacKenzie, who is expected to appear via video conference and is currently being held in a Saskatchewan jail.
Those statements follow those of former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly, whose cross-examination Monday shed light on the conflicts that erupted between him and his then-deputies Patricia (Trish) Ferguson and Steven (Steve) Bell during the crisis.
Eventually, 70 people will have turned up, including Justin Trudeau. Ontario Premier Doug Ford also received a subpoena, but he refuses to back down. Since then, a judge has agreed to hear his request. Mr Ford believes the matter falls solely within federal jurisdiction, which Commissioner Rouleau disputes.