Marco Navarro-Genie is the Founding President of the Haultain Research InstituteWhen Eva Chipiuk — the Alberta lawyer who confronted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s lies at the Emergencies Act inquiry — found out her Royal Bank account was being shut down, it confirmed a chilling truth: dissenters are not safe from Ottawa in the financial system..HANNAFORD: It's worth looking at who gets unbanked and what they do to not deserve it.Chipiuk committed no crime and was not charged with any offence. However, the Montreal-based Royal Bank is refusing to provide her services, citing an unspecified risk. The message is clear: if you challenge Ottawa, you may risk being treated as an economic non-person. This situation arises just days before Tamara Lich, another Alberta woman who opposed Justin Trudeau’s policies, is expected to receive a harsh sentence for standing up against COVID overreach. .Royal Bank of Canada shuts down Freedom Convoy lawyer's accounts over 'risk concerns'.This timing seems more than coincidental. And it is worth noting that when Lich previously tried to make an appointment to open an account with ATB — Alberta’s own Crown financial institution — she was denied even the appointment.This is not paranoia. It is policy..In February 2022, the Trudeau government invoked the Emergencies Act, (as the former-War Measures Act is now known,) to conscript banks and credit unions into freezing the accounts of Canadians who had neither been arrested nor convicted of any offence. Ottawa became judge, jury, and executioner — with your bank balance as the weapon.The convoy seizures were implemented with Mark Carney’s words as a blueprint. In a Globe and Mail op‑ed published a week before the invocation of the Emergencies Act, he wrote “choking off the money” to those “financing sedition.” In plain English: if you support a protest Ottawa dislikes, expect to be financially erased.If that doesn’t terrify you, if you think it's okay for Ottawa to seize your bank account, your wallet already belongs to Carney.Ottawa has a long reach and Albertans who think their money is safe if it’s parked at a credit union or ATB, instead of a chartered bank, are mistaken. It isn’t.Under the Criminal Code, the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act, and the Emergencies Act, Ottawa can force any “financial service provider” — including provincially regulated credit unions — to freeze your accounts.And the Freedom Convoy taught us this: it doesn’t take a judge to determine you have run afoul of those laws. It only takes a federal politician to say so..There is plenty Ottawa doesn’t like about Alberta and Albertans today. Given that Carney declared civil protesters to be seditionists, one doesn’t need to have Margaret Atwood’s imagination to figure out what he will say about Albertans who desire greater autonomy — and Edmonton must not wait for Ottawa to start coming after Carney’s critics in Alberta.When Ottawa threatens the rights of Albertans for being Albertans, it is the sacred responsibility of the Alberta Government to protect them. And, there are a few things Edmonton can do. Let us recall that the Alberta Treasury Branch was established in 1938 to protect Albertans from the greed of Laurentian bankers, who were seizing Alberta farms. ATB has a distinct status as an arm of the Alberta Government. This means that Edmonton can ensure that ATB becomes the most unassailable financial institution against the political machinations of Ottawa, gunning for Albertans.Alberta then, must build Its own fortress. So...Dewokefy ATBWith DEI and similar initiatives, there is evidence that the Alberta Treasury Branch has strayed somewhat from its course. A middle manager once scoffed at me for saying that their mandate was to serve Albertans, adding that the organization must serve its employees.Rewrite ATB’s RulesAmend the ATB Financial Act to require judicial orders for government freezing or closing accounts, mandate public reporting of closures, and enshrine a political neutrality clause prohibiting de‑banking for lawful political activity. No Albertan should be denied service on the say-so of Ottawa politicians.Use the Sovereignty ActIf Ottawa tries another Emergencies Act‑style stunt, Alberta should immediately pass a Sovereignty Act motion instructing ATB to ignore unconstitutional federal orders implicitly criminalizing Alberta citizens unless validated by Alberta courts.Create an Alberta Financial AuthorityBuild a Québec‑style (modelled after l'Autorité des marchés financiers) integrated provincial regulator for ATB and credit unions, insulating them from Ottawa’s direct reach.Develop Alternative Payment PathwaysOttawa controls clearing systems via Payments Canada. Alberta should explore provincial or private settlement systems, reducing this chokehold before it becomes a weapon against Albertans. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec — a $400‑billion provincial pension fund — gives Québec formidable financial independence. Here is a greater incentive to grow the Heritage Fund.Enact an Alberta Financial Rights ActGuarantee Albertans that no one will be denied service and no account can be frozen or closed without due process. If Ottawa wants to seize your money, it should present its case in open court.Our premier knows that when Ottawa overreaches, Québec doesn’t beg for permission. It asserts its constitutional powers and takes the fight to court. Let’s be clear: Ottawa won’t take this lying down. It can seek federal court injunctions, threaten ATB’s access to national payment systems, or ram through new legislation explicitly targeting provincial Crown corporations. Alberta must anticipate these moves now — by drafting preemptive constitutional challenges, forging mutual‑aid agreements with like-minded provinces, and creating backup clearing mechanisms independent of Ottawa.This is Alberta’s choice. When the federal government can freeze your account for giving $50 to the “wrong” cause, you are not a free citizen. You are a subject.The persecution of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, and Eva Chipiuk’s de-banking are a warning.Alberta can assert its distinctiveness. It can either wait for the next hailstorm of financial punishments to come down on Albertans, or it can return ATB to its origins, making it into a fortress to protect Albertans.The tools exist. Premier Smith has a unique opportunity to put Alberta first once again.Marco Navarro-Genie is the Founding President of the Haultain Research Institute. With Barry Cooper, he is the co-author of Canada's COVID: The Story of a Pandemic Moral Panic (2023)
