Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland claims she froze the bank accounts of ordinary Canadians opposed to draconian Liberal government COVID-19 mandates to avoid “blood on the face of a child.” 

Freeland was testifying before the Public Order Emergency Commission on Thursday when she made the dramatic remarks. 

“My perspective at the time, and also with hindsight…a virtue of these measures was no blood on the face of a child. No physical coercion required, and I thought that it was good that we came up with a way of creating some economic incentives for people to leave,” said Freeland. 

By invoking the federal Emergencies Act in February, the Liberal government utilized anti-terrorism financing powers to freeze the bank accounts of protesters who refused to leave Ottawa.

A total of $8 million worth of assets from over 200 bank accounts were frozen through powers granted under the Emergencies Act.

Police also threatened to call social services on parents with children remaining in the capital after the government declared the protest illegal. 

Nearly 25% of the convoy trucks had children residing in them. In February, Ottawa Police Services said it was working with the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa to investigate the presence of children. 

Despite Freeland’s assertions, protestors faced physical coercion from law enforcement when the federal government ordered a militarized police presence to clear out Freedom Convoy supporters. 

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino also joked about sending in tanks. Evidence submitted to the commission showed the minister raised the idea with Justice Minister David Lametti in a text message. 

“How many tanks are you asking for? I just wanna ask (Defence Minister Anita Anand) how many we’ve got on hand,” Mendicino wrote on Feb. 2. 

“I reckon one will do!” Lametti replied.

When asked about the texts, Lametti told the commission he called it “banter.”