Royal Bank of Canada has severed its ties with Eva Chipiuk, a lawyer who played a high-profile role during the Freedom Convoy protests, citing vague “risk-related concerns” and giving her until mid-August 2025 to move her funds elsewhere.
According to a report by Western Standard, Chipiuk, who has been outspoken about government overreach and institutional abuse of power, disclosed that the bank’s decision followed a flagged Bitcoin purchase.
The transaction prompted a temporary freeze of her account and a series of questions she described as both “strange and demeaning.” Though the freeze was lifted after questioning, she was cautioned to tread carefully with cryptocurrency. Soon after, her accounts were abruptly closed.
The termination letter leaned heavily on regulatory obligations, stating: “We are no longer in a position to continue our banking relationship with you.” Beyond that, no evidence of wrongdoing, nor any specific policy violation, was mentioned.
Asked whether her connection to convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber played a role, Chipiuk declined to speculate, though she acknowledged that in today’s political climate “certain names might be flagged or monitored more closely, whether justified or not.”
Chipiuk has since opened an account with Bow Valley Credit Union and is currently exploring legal remedies.
The case has added fuel to ongoing debates over Canada’s increasingly punitive financial practices, especially those used against individuals connected to controversial causes.
This is not the first time Canadians have seen banks used as tools of enforcement. Following the 2022 protests in Ottawa, authorities targeted financial supporters of the movement, freezing accounts and digital wallets en masse.
On February 14, the same day the government invoked the Emergencies Act, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland publicly confirmed account seizures, effectively linking banking powers with political aims. That same day, correspondence between Sabia and Freeland revealed concerns about public backlash and reputational harm to financial institutions.
Despite efforts to distance themselves, Canadian banks and the RCMP faced growing scrutiny over their roles. The RCMP later clarified that it did not directly order account freezes; banks acted independently, albeit under government direction.
