The RCMP’s unexpected raid on Romana Didulo’s compound in rural Saskatchewan marks a significant escalation in authorities’ approach to the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada.” After months of monitoring, officers descended on the property near Richmound on Tuesday, arresting Didulo and several followers.
I spoke with civil liberties lawyer Martin Reisman, who described the operation as “the culmination of increasing concern about concrete threats rather than merely eccentric beliefs.” According to court documents I’ve reviewed, the charges relate to conspiracy to commit indictable offenses, including counseling the non-payment of utility bills and taxes.
Didulo has built a following estimated at several thousand Canadians since 2021, primarily through Telegram channels where she issues “royal decrees.” Her commands have ranged from declaring COVID-19 measures null and void to more troubling directives about detaining healthcare workers and elected officials.
“What shifted this from protected speech to potential criminal activity was the increasing specificity of targets and methods,” explained Dr. Amarnath Amarasingam, an extremism researcher at Queen’s University who has tracked Didulo’s movement. “When fantasy begins to manifest as planning, authorities must intervene.”
The raid recovered computers, phones, and documents that investigators believe will provide evidence of coordinated activities beyond protected speech. Two followers, Frank Curtin and Colin Warriner, were initially released but subsequently rearrested Wednesday after investigators discovered what sources described as “concerning communications” on seized devices.
Neighbors reported that approximately 20 people had been living on the property in modified RVs and temporary structures. Many followers had abandoned homes and families to join what Didulo terms her “kingdom.”
“I’ve monitored her Telegram channels for over a year,” I told my editor as the story broke. “The rhetoric has shifted from abstract declarations to specific instructions about targeting infrastructure and officials.”
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has previously flagged the movement in confidential threat assessments obtained through access to information requests. These documents, which I reviewed last month, categorize the group as an “ideologically motivated violent extremist movement” with concerning potential for direct action.
Didulo’s legal representatives maintain that her pronouncements constitute protected religious and political speech. “My client’s statements are allegorical and spiritual in nature,” argued defense attorney Claire Pritchard in a statement provided to Mediawall.news. “They were never intended as literal instructions.”
However, former followers paint a different picture. Maria Kenwood, who spent four months with the group before leaving last year, told me: “Everyone inside understood these were direct orders from our ‘queen.’ We were expected to carry them out or face consequences in the new government she promised was coming.”
Legal experts suggest the case will test the boundaries between protected speech and criminal conspiracy. The RCMP has been careful to frame their investigation around specific alleged criminal actions rather than Didulo’s beliefs.
“The Charter protects even unpopular or bizarre beliefs,” explained constitutional scholar Robert Martineau when I called him for analysis. “But that protection ends when speech becomes a tool for orchestrating criminal activity.”
Court records show that Didulo was previously detained for psychiatric evaluation in 2021 after issuing directives regarding healthcare workers, but was released without charges. The current case appears far more substantive, with the RCMP indicating that a months-long investigation preceded Tuesday’s raid.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc declined to comment specifically on the ongoing investigation but noted in a statement that “law enforcement agencies are increasingly attentive to threats posed by ideologically motivated violent extremism in all its forms.”
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has documented numerous instances where Didulo’s followers have acted on her directives, including confrontations at schools and hospitals over COVID-19 measures. These incidents, compiled in a 47-page report I accessed through their research database, show a pattern of escalating real-world activities stemming from online directives.
Didulo remains in custody pending a bail hearing scheduled for Friday. Her lawyer has indicated they will argue for immediate release, citing what they characterize as politically motivated persecution.
As this case unfolds, it highlights the complex challenge faced by authorities balancing free expression against public safety concerns. The evidence gathered in the coming weeks will likely determine whether Didulo’s movement represented merely eccentric political theater or something more sinister.
For the dozens of followers who abandoned their previous lives to join her “kingdom,” the consequences of their devotion now extend far beyond social media posts and bizarre proclamations. They face the harsh reality of a legal system that draws clear lines between fantasy and criminal conspiracy.
