My Bank Account Was Unlawfully Frozen by Prime Minister Trudeau. Now I’m Suing: Edward Cornell

[FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW] “There I was: no cash, no access to my credit cards, nothing. And I left on a Monday morning. I had other jobs that I had to take care of while I was there, and I had no money for gas. I had no money for lodging, nothing for food … For what? What did I do?”

In 2022, Eddie Cornell was at home in New Brunswick, Canada, when he began to hear chatter of a trucker’s convoy making its way to Ottawa to protest the COVID lockdowns and vaccine mandates.

“And I thought, ‘I need to be there,’” says Mr. Cornell.

Little did he know that he would become publicly marked and have his bank account frozen.

“I felt betrayed. I’ve never been convicted of a crime, I wasn’t charged with a crime. And yet my government found it necessary to label me and freeze everything I own,” says Mr. Cornell.

Today, he is the co-founder of Veterans for Freedom, and has filed a civil lawsuit against the Trudeau administration.

“Citizens and ex-military people didn’t return any violence—nothing, not a punch, nothing. And to be beaten that way and treated like that. The world saw. They know what happened,” says Mr. Cornell. “Even the police intelligence units were saying, ‘This is the most peaceful thing that we could possibly imagine. There’s no violence here.’ So, the government tried to paint a very different narrative.”

We discuss the recent Supreme Court case, which ruled that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergency Act during the Freedom Convoy was unconstitutional. We also discuss Mr. Cornell’s current case against Mr. Trudeau, and what the media got wrong in their coverage of the truckers’ protest.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

*Big thanks to our sponsor for this episode Patriot Gold Group. Check them out here: https://ept.ms/3sr5LhH

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Jan Jekielek:
Eddie Cornell, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Eddie Cornell:
Thanks. I’m really happy to be here.

Mr. Jekielek:
Your name is on this huge lawsuit, Cornell et al. v. Trudeau et al., two years on since the trucker’s convoy. The high court judge ruled that the invocation of the Emergencies Act was unconstitutional. What was your reaction?

Mr. Cornell:
It was amazing. I got the call while I was in my garage. I banged my head on my tractor while I was changing the oil. I was jumping up and down like I had just won the lottery. I couldn’t believe it and it was like Christmas all over again. It was fantastic. I was beside myself.

Mr. Jekielek:
It seemed to me obvious that it was going to be seen as unconstitutional. But you say you couldn’t believe it. Why?

Mr. Cornell:
I couldn’t believe it because we have had so many disappointments. People that had challenged the measures imposed on us weren’t having much success. To have a spectacular win in the federal court by a very well-respected judge really gave renewed hope to everyone fighting at all levels of our justice system. It took a lot of courage for Justice Mosley to actually render a decision with such far-reaching implications.

Mr. Jekielek:
Canadian courts are known to side with the government, which makes it all the more significant.

Mr. Cornell:
That is true. When people read the decision, you’ll notice that Justice Mosley himself, in the beginning of the trial, actually thought he would side with the government. When he actually examined all the evidence, he changed his mind and that was great.

Mr. Jekielek:
You were deeply involved with the truckers’ convoy. You’re a Canadian veteran wearing five medals on your lapel. Please tell us about your life trajectory.

Mr. Cornell:
I’m just a regular guy that joined the military when I was 18-years-old and served for 22 years. I served in Cyprus in the Canadian contingent.
I received the Medal of Bravery for rescuing a person at sea who was drowning.

Mr. Jekielek:
The Medal of Bravery is a pretty rare award, from my understanding.

Mr. Cornell:
I was quite surprised to receive it. To me, it was just another day. I went out, rescued the guy, then went back and continued my job, so it was quite a surprise. It was very humbling for me to actually receive that type of recognition. I try to stay honorable in my life and be an example. When I wear this, I try to conduct myself in an appropriate manner for everyone that came before me and everyone that will come after me.

Mr. Jekielek:
What are the other medals you are wearing?

Mr. Cornell:
This one is the Medal of Peace. All the Canadians that had served under the United Nations flag were awarded this back in 1992. This one was for my tour in Cyprus. This is a Queen’s-type medal that you get for different anniversaries. This is my long service medal with a bar, which means 22 years of service. That’s it as far as decorations. I had a wonderful career as a gunner in the artillery. My hearing is not so good anymore, but that’s okay. There are a lot of things I don’t really want to hear.

Mr. Jekielek:
How did you get involved with the Freedom Convoy?

Mr. Cornell:
It’s a surprising thing. I was sitting at home and heard chatter about this convoy making its way to Ottawa. I immediately thought, “I need to be there.” I live in a small town in New Brunswick. I got in my car on a very snowy day and drove through a snowstorm to Ottawa.

I arrived as the trucks arrived. I tucked in and out with some of the convoy. The next day, Saturday morning, was when things really started to happen. I had my medals on like I do now. I was walking around, just talking to people and finding out where they were from and why they were there.

Somebody on the main stage noticed me. It was that boom truck stage that everybody has probably seen. They grabbed me and pulled me up onto the stage. I basically gave a pep talk to around 50,000 people standing there. I got noticed.

They realized there was an ex-military guy here. I ended up working behind the scenes with some of the greatest people I’ve ever met in my life. We assisted the truckers logistically, helped them get their message across, and supported all the people that were there. They needed help getting food, fuel, and having the trash removed. They came from all across the country organically and everyone worked together. I just had to be part of that.

Mr. Jekielek:
Many people that joined the convoy have an identical story. They heard it was happening and had to come. You said, “I have to be there.” Why?

Mr. Cornell:
I wish I could put it into words, but I can’t qualify it. It was just a calling. Once I was there, as a veteran, I needed to tell other veterans to join in. I put out a video and it took off across the country. I called for a stand-to. To a person of a military background, that means to come and defend your position right now.

They came to Ottawa by the hundreds to support the convoy. We were there to support the truckers and their families in any way that we could, but I don’t mean violently. I mean in a very peaceful way, to show that we agreed with what they are standing for and that we’re standing with them.

Mr. Jekielek:
What were you standing for?

Mr. Cornell:
Basically, freedom from mandates and lockdowns. It wasn’t to overthrow the government like they tried to paint in their narrative. People came with barbecues and snow shovels and bouncy castles. That’s not how people arrive when they’re trying to overthrow a government. These were the most peaceful people I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.

They were people of all races and all backgrounds. We came together, stood shoulder to shoulder, and tried to get a message to the government, “What you’re doing is wrong and you need to listen.” But they didn’t listen.

Mr. Cornell:
Let’s talk about the government’s reaction. This is in the court documents as well. Please tell us about that from your perspective.

Mr. Jekielek:
Initially, the Ottawa Police Service was great. They were there to just keep an eye on things and there really were no issues. People were shoveling the sidewalks and cleaning up the trash. There was food available and it was a fantastic scene.
Then something changed. All of a sudden you saw those people from the police services that were very supportive being removed and another type of police was introduced slowly. The whole feeling started to change. There was this underlying feeling that something was going to happen.

Mr. Jekielek:
Can you please expand on this?

Mr. Cornell:
Looking back, we all know they instituted the Emergencies Act on February 14th. That was a time that scared a lot of people. You saw police coming that weren’t dressed like police anymore. They were dressed like what I would have worn in the military. They had this look in their eyes that they were going to demolish peaceful people that offered no resistance and no violence. You could tell they just wanted to destroy you.

Over that time, it slowly got worse and worse. People were trampled by horses, shot with tear gas, shot with rubber bullets, and beaten with clubs. The veterans stood in line between the police and the people as a shield. I should mention one person, Chris Deering. I think most people know his story.

He was a severely wounded veteran, the lone survivor of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He was engaging with the police. He said, “I’m very severely injured. If you’re going to arrest me, I will go peacefully. Please don’t hurt me.”

He was one of the first people they grabbed. They pulled him out of the ranks and threw him to the ground. Three big officers were kicking him in his legs, his back, and his head. He had his medals on like all the other veterans did.

Then, along with other people and other veterans, the police put them in the back of paddy wagons and drove them around erratically for a period of time. Then they took them to a processing area and dropped them off in minus-25 temperatures outside of town with no transport back. That’s how they treated veterans and citizens.

Mr. Jekielek:
Who were these new police?

Mr. Cornell:
I don’t know. You hear a lot of rumors that they came from offshore, but I don’t believe that myself. I believe the ones that we are referring to were from Quebec. They were very happy to do what they did, but not all of them.

I stood on the line and would look people straight in the eye. I would scan all the officers that I could see, and some would look away. Others appeared to be thinking, “I can’t wait to beat your ass right now. Several were crying and they removed them pretty quick. A couple of them passed out. But you felt this impending sense of violence coming.

Citizens and ex-military people didn’t return any violence, not even a punch. Nothing. The world saw us being beaten and treated like that. They know what happened. Then the narrative came out the following day about the lady that was trampled with the horse. Chief Bell, the interim chief, said she threw her bike at the police, so that’s how it happened. The video of her being trampled with her walker was altered, by the way.

Every narrative they tried to paint fell apart, like, “They tried to start a fire in one of the buildings.” That was proven to be false. They said that truckers and participants were stealing food from the homeless. That proved to be false. In fact, the food banks were turning food away because they had no room to store more food.

The homeless people in Ottawa couldn’t believe it. They were having a field day with all this food and were eating so well. To this day, you still hear some of the citizens complaining about the honking. But the citizens that I engaged with were so thankful that we were there. There were hugs all around. They said, “I’ve never been able to walk the streets at night like this. I’ve never felt more safe.”

In some of the police documents and in some of the videos during the inquiry, even the police intelligence units were saying, “This is the most peaceful thing that we could possibly imagine. There is no violence here.” But the government tried to paint a very different narrative.

Mr. Jekielek:
There was an ordinance passed to stop the honking. As I understand it, the honking just stopped when that ordinance was passed.

Mr. Cornell:
Yes, it stopped instantly. The other narrative was that the trucks were blocking all of the streets. They weren’t. If there were any streets blocked, it was because of the police. They put up the barricades to block the streets. We kept lanes open for safety all around the city. The media painted a different picture, but the people that were there knew the truth.

We were not there to harm anybody’s safety. We were there to get a message across. In a sense, I’m speaking on behalf of the truckers. It wasn’t to hold the city hostage—it was to be heard. The honking was the first way that they could be heard. When the court ordered they couldn’t do that, they complied completely.

Mr. Jekielek:
In your recollection, was there any kind of communication with the government?

Mr. Cornell:
We tried. I wasn’t directly involved with communicating. I worked with some of the liaison officers from the police forces. Basically, they were just there to gather intelligence. They weren’t really trying to engage or to find solutions. They were there to gather information and pass it to their superiors.
We realized pretty quickly why they were there and that it was pretty much a dead end. It seemed that no one was listening. The leaders of the convoy tried to engage with the government, but they weren’t having any of it and wouldn’t engage with us at all.

Mr. Jekielek:
The whole convoy was described by politicians and media as being extremist.

Mr. Cornell:
They have to do that. Because if they said, “These are a bunch of nice people that showed up,” then beat them and ran them over with horses, it wouldn’t look so good. They have to paint us as Nazis and white supremacists, saying, “There are Nazi flags everywhere. There are Confederate flags everywhere.”

I didn’t see them. But after the fact, they conveniently posted pictures of these things. I do know that the people that did see these flags called these people out immediately and got rid of them, because that’s not what people were there for. During the court challenge, they asked me those very questions during my testimony. They called me names. They wanted me to comment on the flags. I just basically said that I had no comment. But they actually called me those names.

Mr. Jekielek:
Your lawyer had some thoughts about that.

Mr. Cornell:
Yes, he did. He didn’t like it very much and jumped on it pretty quick. But they really had nothing else. That was their whole narrative during my testimony for the Emergencies Act and the freezing of the bank accounts. My account was frozen as well.

Mr. Jekielek:
Let’s discuss the overall effect of the freedom convoy on you personally. You went there, talked on stage, formed a line, and faced off with police. How did you feel about all of this?

Mr. Cornell:
Personally, I felt betrayed. I’ve never been convicted of a crime and I wasn’t even charged with a crime. Yet, my government found it necessary to label me and freeze everything I own. What did I do? I just spoke up along with everyone else. We just spoke up and wanted to be heard. They let me down.

I always believed in the government, and that the government would try to do the right thing for the people. But since then, I have realized they’re only in it for themselves. Sometimes we can’t wait four years for an election. Sometimes you have to voice your concerns. If you do it peacefully, that is protected under our Constitution. But they didn’t agree.

Mr. Jekielek:
Justice Mosley obviously agrees with your interpretation. What about the media?

Mr. Cornell:
Thank God we had so many independent and alternative media in Ottawa, including The Epoch Times. They got the story out to the world. The story the mainstream media or legacy media was painting wasn’t the true picture. They were painting a completely opposite view of what was really happening.

They should be ashamed of themselves, they really should. Nobody believes them anymore and we don’t listen to them anymore. In our eyes, they basically are the Ministry of Truth. No wonder they are failing. Independent and alternative media are doing so well, but the governments are trying to crush those, too. They can’t have that type of dissent. They want a specific message.
In Ottawa, all they wanted to do was to create hit pieces. I had one reporter from the CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] who wanted to do an interview. He got in my face at the ARC Hotel as I came out one day and said, “I’d really like to help you guys. We’d like to do an in-depth story.” I said, No, thanks. I’m not really interested. I’m just here to help people out. I don’t hear so well, and you’ve got a mask on. I’m sorry, I can’t hear half of what you are saying.”

Two hours later, I happened to be coming out again. The same person ran up behind me with his mask off and I didn’t recognize him. He said, “I’m the guy that spoke to you in the lobby.” I said, “How come you’re not wearing a mask? He said, “Oh, I only wear that on TV.”

Mr. Jekielek:
What did you think would happen?

Mr. Cornell:
It was just very aggressive when they came to me in the lobby. In the military, you get a sense of people’s demeanor and how they approach you. It seemed hostile. When you were speaking to independents, they were much more interested in getting the story, not inventing the story. They wanted to see what was really going on.

Mr. Jekielek:
I’ve heard variations of that in many areas of human inquiry in many countries. It doesn’t seem to be an isolated thing.

Mr. Cornell:
That is true. People just wanted answers and they wanted dialogue. They wanted conversation, because things didn’t add up and didn’t make sense. What you saw in your daily life compared to what you were being told on television during this whole pandemic didn’t make any sense.

You can’t blame people for questioning things. But for anyone that stuck their head out, they did their best to actually get you fired from your job, and paint you as a conspiracy theorist. They used whatever means they could to do that.

Mr. Jekielek:
You faced a situation where you could no longer access your money.

Mr. Cornell:
I went to the cash machine on Friday, and it didn’t work. I thought maybe the bank machine was empty because a lot of people were taking money out. They had heard about things going down. I tried to go online later that night and I couldn’t register in my account.

The next morning I called the bank, and I had a really strange conversation with an agent on the line. It was very vague, and they didn’t know how to speak to me. It was very, very strange. They said, “You need to call the president.

I replied, “Call the president? What president?” They said, “The president of the bank.” I said, “Okay, do you have his number? They answered, “No, we don’t have the number.” I asked, “What has happened? Why is my account not working?” They had no answer for me.

So there I was with no cash and no access to my credit cards. I had no money for gas, no money for lodging, and no money for food. If it wasn’t for the kindness of others that gave me a few bucks, I don’t know how I would have gotten home, and I live in New Brunswick.

Why did they do that if they wanted us to leave, and now we have no money to go anywhere? It didn’t make sense to me. I realized just how vulnerable I am because of my finances, and I’m still struggling with that. It’s hard to put into words how you feel when your government takes your money.

It was unfrozen later, but I don’t keep any money in the bank anymore. I keep just enough in there to cover the bills. I look over my shoulder and worry that the first moment I say something that offends someone, they’re going to come knocking at my door and take me away in the middle of the night. That’s how I feel, but I hope that’s not the case.

I’ve tried other banks and they’ve quietly said to me, “I wouldn’t apply right now. We shouldn’t really take you as a client.” I have to be honest, when I came to the U.S I was fearful that I was going to be taken away. I didn’t know if I would make it across the border. Luckily, I made it through okay.

But what if I was in another country? If I was in China or Germany, would I find myself incarcerated because I’m on some list? I don’t know. No one can tell me. They did say publicly that you will be marked for life. For what? What did I do? How do you get marked for life for doing nothing?

Mr. Jekielek:
There are many viewpoints on the truckers’ protest. It actually had an effect on stopping various mandates around the world. That is viewed by many as a very positive thing.

Mr. Cornell:
I think so, too. That’s the good thing about democracy. We don’t all have to agree. I would like to live in a place where you have the right to speak up, and even though people might have different opinions, they are respectful of each other. But it doesn’t seem to be that way anymore. Only if you have the correct opinion are you okay.

Trudeau said a small, fringe minority with unacceptable views was coming to Ottawa. Who decides what is acceptable? Is it the Ministry of Truth, which is now the mainstream legacy media? Democracies have to flourish. You’re not going to like what some people say, but that’s okay. That’s how it’s supposed to work. You can’t have everyone agree on everything. but it seems that’s what they want.

Mr. Jekielek:
We talked about the impact on you. What about your friends and family?

Mr. Cornell:
I’ve lost a lot of friends, that’s all I can say. In spite of it all, there’s a lot of people that I never would have met, some of the best people I’ve ever met in my life. It was the greatest experience. I have friends that are like family now. Some of my family blew me off, and they’ll probably never talk to me again. That’s unfortunate and I hope we can mend fences someday. That’s my cross to bear.

It’s the same for many Canadians and others around the world. We have to find a way through this and come back together, because our societies are just so divided right now. It’s so extreme, from one side to the other, and your government is fueling that fire. Instead of trying to mend fences, they try to keep the division going. Our country and many countries around the world are in a sad state.

Mr. Jekielek:
What is your intention with this lawsuit? What do you hope it will accomplish?

Mr. Cornell:
The lawsuit that we have just launched is about the unlawful freezing of bank accounts. If people disagree with what we did, I understand. That’s okay, you can disagree. But think about this—if they froze my account because they didn’t like what I said, when you say something they don’t like and they freeze your accounts, is that okay?

They have set such a dangerous precedent and people should be alarmed. When you have a central bank digital currency, which they’re trying to bring in, you’re going to be a victim of government overreach one day, and you’re not going to be able to do anything about it. You need to pay close attention to this lawsuit because this will affect you.

Think of the seriousness of having everything you own frozen. You can’t buy food. You can’t buy medication. You can’t pay your mortgage.
You can’t pay your insurance. You can’t put gas in your vehicle. That’s pretty extreme. Do you think that your government would never use that tool again? Who’s to say where the line is?

Mr. Jekielek:
Your point here is that it shouldn’t be the government deciding arbitrarily where that line is.

Mr. Cornell:
Yes, because governments will always try to gain more power. It’s up to the citizens and the democracy to speak up and say, “You’ve gone too far. This has to be corrected.” The concentration of power that you’re seeing in governments around the world, and especially in Canada, is alarming. We need to pay attention.

In a free society, you should have the right to free speech, not just the views that are acceptable to the government. Because when a new government comes, does what is considered acceptable change? In Canada, you have a liberal government or a conservative government. Each has a different perspective on the economy and what laws should pass. I think free speech would be paramount in any democracy.

Mr. Jekielek:
What do you believe happened?

Mr. Cornell:
We were asleep at the wheel, all of us. We have a ruling class now, instead of having a governing class, which means citizens actively participating in government. The ruling class has decided they are the rulers. That’s just my opinion.

It seems like it’s a top-down organization now, and you’ll do as you’re told or you’ll be punished. It has become extremely authoritarian. We’re creeping more and more towards that line that you don’t want to cross. People that have lived in countries where this has happened. We have people from all over the world that have migrated to Canada who have lived through this. They know about this and they’re warning people.

It’s like you have a group of people standing on a train track and someone’s yelling, “Hey, there’s a train coming. Look over there. Get off the track.” Then people will say, “He’s a conspiracy theorist. Don’t pay any attention. Nothing to see here.”

It’s a warning.The old adage is you can vote your way to tyranny, but you have to fight your way out. Let’s hope that’s not the case. Violence is not the answer to achieve an objective. It should be peaceful, engaged conversation.

Mr. Jekielek:
You and a number of the veterans that were involved in the Freedom Convoy started Veterans for Freedom. What is your group all about?

Mr. Cornell:
As a result of the convoy, it was five of us that recognized the unity that happens when veterans come together. I want to make it clear that we don’t speak for all veterans. There are 460,000 veterans in Canada, and we have about 3,500 members across the country. We are like-minded veterans that want to protect people that are vulnerable and also serve other veterans.

We want to bring attention to issues that are of concern to veterans
and all people and then help in any way that we can. We need to raise money for people that are injured from the Covid vaccines. We need to assist them because our government is failing to help these people. They’re asking for help, and they’re being turned away.

Initially, the government really came at Veterans for Freedom as people that were fueling the fire and that we’re going to become a militia organization. In Canada, you can be arrested for trying to start a militia. We’re not a militia. We’re just a group of like-minded veterans that want to help people. That’s it.

It’s catching on. People already know us across the country by the acts we’ve done helping people. We’ve raised over $200,000 and helped people as much as we can, and we’re not going to stop. We also take in other members, not just veterans. We have supporters and patriots that want to help. They want to get involved and help us to do the job, because nobody else is doing it. That’s why we started this group.

People have a certain feeling when veterans show up to help and they appreciate it. It says something to them and it’s heartwarming. We get a lot of hugs and a lot of tears. We really do.

Mr. Jekielek:
There are a number of other lawsuits that are still playing out. Tamara Lich is one that comes to mind. I know you stay in touch with some of these folks. Do you have any updates for us?

Mr. Cornell:
Yes, there are a number of lawsuits. Each one is slightly different, but they all are trying to achieve the same thing. Tamara Lich, Danny Bulford, and Tom Marazzo and a few others have an excellent lawsuit going. Ours is a little different. It’s a civil lawsuit with about 20 plaintiffs and 32 defendants. Of course, there’s an ask for a judgment. People in Canada think, “These people are just trying to get rich because their bank accounts were frozen.”

No, that’s not it at all. The government wields the power. We have named all the people that did this to us, from the prime minister, to the banks, to the police, and to the anti-hate network. They need to be held to account. I’m an older guy. I don’t want to hand the world off to the next generation in a shambles.

Mr. Jekielek:
You mentioned an anti-hate network. Please tell us about that.

Mr. Cornell:
The anti-hate network was primarily the information organization that supplied all of the alternative narratives to the government which they used for their intelligence reports. Much of what happened is the result of information that came from them. I won’t say too much more about that, but they played a big part in creating the narrative that said, “These are a bunch of people that want to overthrow the government. They’ve got Nazi flags, and they’re beating up people, and they’re stealing food.” This anti-hate network was behind this, so they need to be held to account.

Mr. Jekielek:
Any final thoughts as we finish up?

Mr. Cornell:
Don’t think there isn’t anything you can do. Everybody has a role to play. If your opinion is different from mine, that’s okay. I’m not going to encourage people to squash your opinion, and I hope that you’ll do the same to us. We need to get together as a country and move past this.

This type of hate we’re experiencing over whatever the current issue is, we’re not going to survive if we don’t come together and move beyond it. Let’s not let our government divide us and fuel that fire. All I ask is that you speak up. Speak up to your government and let them know that you’re not happy with what they are doing.

Mr. Jekielek:
Eddie Cornell, it’s such a pleasure to have you on the show.

Mr. Cornell:
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

Mr. Jekielek:
Thank you all for joining Eddie Cornell and me on this episode of American Thought Leaders. I’m your host, Jan Jekielek.

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity.