Scotia bank has debanked Canadian Armed Forces veteran and Diagolon leader Jeremy MacKenzie and banned him from entering any of its location
“I have 30 days to find alternative means of financing the mortgage on the home, where my children live and everything else you could imagine,” MacKenzie said in a Facebook post on Friday.
“No, they wouldn’t give a reason. No, there’s no appeal process. I’m not even allowed to step foot in any branch location. But hey, is Jordan Petersons twitter account in danger?”
In a “heads up” phone call MacKenzie received from a bank teller and recorded then posted online, he was told the bank is terminating their relationship with him and he will receive a letter in the mail confirming it. “The bank has determined this relationship is outside of its risk appetite,” the teller said.
After being accused of assault, pointing a firearm, mischief, and carelessly using a restricted weapon during the the summer, MacKenzie was arrested by the RCMP back in September. In November, he was granted bail and freed from a Saskatchewan prison.
In November 2022 Morgan May, MacKenzie’s girlfriend, told the Western Standard the incident was “fabricated” while involving a former member the diagolon group with disagreements and there was no firearm involved.
MacKenzie and his group Diagolon is described as a fictional and satirical country stretching from Alaska to Florida. The white diagonal line on the flag is supposed to represent a line from Alaska to Florida (at the time were the only provinces and states that did not have mask mandates). The group has been hit with several controversies in the past several years.
The controversies include unfavorable and crude statements by MacKenzie and live streams by his followers. Diagolon patches that were said to be found with a cache of firearms near the Coutts, Alberta border blockade in the beginning of 2022.
The government of Canada funded far-left activist group Canadian “Anti-Hate Network” claims Diagolon is a far-right, accelerationist group, while MacKenzie explained Diagolon is a “joke country,”. a threat posed by the group has been exaggerated by mainstream media, Liberal and NDP politicians and RCMP.
The bank teller MacKenzie spoke with had no additional information and was unable to provide a reason the decision to shut down his bank account was made as he was only the messenger. The bank representative told MacKenzie his account will be completely closed 30 days from receiving the letting.
But the veteran is also banned from visiting any Scotiabank branches in person without first getting written consent from the bank.
“So just to recap, I’m being de-banked, I’m banned from the bank, there are no reasons given, there’s nobody to contact, and that’s it. Is that right?” MacKenzie asked the bank teller.
“There will be some contact information in that letter,” the bank teller responded. “If there’s anything you need help with in terms of your accounts, you can email your branch and discuss it with them. I understand your frustration.”
“You don’t though,” MacKenzie responded. “It’s not frustration. This is catastrophically ruinous to most people. I can’t imagine this is something people typically deal with, so I don’t appreciate you saying that you understand, because you certainly don’t. Have you ever been de-banked before?”
Scotia Bank didn’t reply when BC Rise reached out for comment on the situation.
Additionally, MacKenzie was informed that Scotiabank would not be renewing his mortgage, thus he would need to make plans with another institution. The letter he receives from the bank will provide more information.
“Does this letter come with any pamphlets from the government regarding medical assistance in dying?” MacKenzie jokingly asked. The bank teller responded that the letter wouldn’t come with any government pamphlets.
“Thank you so much,” MacKenzie said before ending the phone call. “Folks, this is Canada.”
You have the right to open a personal bank account
According to the government of Canada, everyone has a right to open a bank account a long as they pass a certain criteria.
“You have the right to open a personal bank account at a bank under certain conditions. To do so, you must provide them with acceptable forms of identification.” written on the government of Canada website.
While the government of Canada website has details about opening a bank account there really isn’t any information about debanking anyone that has an existing established bank account. There is a process for disputing when the bank refuses to open a new bank account for an individual but it is unclear what the process is and what details the bank is required to give the former client when it comes to a bank deciding closing an established bank account.
When a bank refuses to open a bank account for you
A bank may refuse to open a personal bank account for you if:
- they have reasonable grounds to believe you plan to use the account for illegal or fraudulent purposes
- you’ve had a history of illegal or fraudulent activity with financial service providers in the last 7 years
- they have reasonable grounds to believe you knowingly made false statements in the information you gave
- they have reasonable grounds to believe it’s necessary to protect their customers or employees from physical harm, harassment, or other abuse
- the branch or point of service only offers accounts linked to an existing account with another financial institution and you don’t have one
- you don’t allow them to take steps to verify that the identification you presented is valid