I Feel Betrayed

Suing the banks, the cops, the government over frozen bank accounts.

Click image to watch this interview

Edward Cornell is a decorated, 22-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces. He was amongst those who successfully challenged the use of the Emergencies Act against peaceful Freedom Convoy protesters. Since then, he has become the lead plaintiff in a follow-up civil lawsuit against the banks, police forces, politicians, and others involved in the seizing of protester bank accounts.

In a recent interview with Harrison Faulkner of True North, Edward said the aim of the second lawsuit is to hold people accountable “for what they did.” Nineteen individuals, plus Jonker Trucking Inc. (collectively known as the plaintiffs) are seeking damages. “If any government treats its citizens in this manner,” adds lawyer Blair Ector in that same video, “we will fight it, we will oppose it. And we will oppose it vigorously. Because that’s not what Canada is, and that is not what we stand for as Canadians.”

In late February 2022, mere days after the Ottawa protest was violently suppresssed, Edward swore an affidavit. Reading through those pages, its clear he didn’t drive a truck to Ottawa. Nor did he spend days loudly honking his horn. But his bank accounts got frozen nonetheless. Based on that affidavit, here’s his story:

After hearing about the Freedom Convoy, he and his wife, who reside in New Brunswick, decide to travel to Ottawa by car. They watch an eastern arm of the Convoy travel through Moncton. They arrive in the nation’s capital on the first Saturday of the protest, January 29th. After driving his wife back home, Edward returns to Ottawa alone, where he remains between February 2 and 21st.

During that extended period of time, he says he “did not witness any hostility from anyone towards anyone…The mood throughout was festive and friendly…hugs and handshakes with both police officers and protesters were commonplace.”

Edward says he wore his military medals and began serving as a negotiator between the protesters and the police. On Friday, February 18th, while trying to pay some bills online, he encountered odd error messages. During the evening of that same day, he realized his credit cards were no longer working.

When he was finally able to talk someone at Scotia Bank, he was frequently put on hold. He was directed to a complaints page that unhelpfully and unrealistically advised him to contact the president of the bank directly.

Over a span of four days, Edward was unable to access any of the funds he’d entrusted to his bank, or use any of his credit cards. In his words, “I was left in a very desperate situation and unable to pay any of my bills that were due during this time.”

On his return journey to New Brunswick, he says, “I was required to go around the Highway 30 bridge because the tolls required payment via debit or credit card which I was unable to do.”

His affidavit was signed the day after his accounts were restored. Understandably, he was severely spooked by the experience:

This has left me completely terrified and scarred. I broke no law yet the government seized my accounts and froze my hard earned money.

I am not a criminal.

I am not a terrorist.

…My wife and I are both very afraid and unable to sleep at night. I feel betrayed.