If Levant wants to play politics, he should do so as a politician and see how well his extreme views go over with voters
Until last week’s federal leaders’ debates, Rebel News and its gadfly founder, Ezra Levant, were little more than minor irritants in Canada’s media landscape, like a pesky patch of poison ivy. The spectacle of David Menzies, the Rebel’s so-called “mission specialist,” and his trademark Panama hat being repeatedly splattered against a wall by plain clothes cops for stalking politicians with his microphone thrust like a sabre even provided the odd moment of comic relief. His schtick long ago lost its novelty, however, as he was arrested no fewer than five times last year alone. The lack of consequences for such behaviour, with charges repeatedly being dropped, has unfortunately seemed to only embolden the Rebels. The litigious Levant repeatedly advanced his cause with court victories achieved by hiding behind a shield of press freedom, although he couldn’t fool a panel of journalism experts that advises the Canada Revenue Agency on eligibility for Ottawa’s news media subsidies. It denied Levant’s publication status as a Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization in 2022 after it found that “less than one per cent of Rebel News articles met the criteria for original news content,” and a Federal Court upheld the ruling last fall.
After the spectacle the Rebels provoked at last week’s debates, however, there can be little doubt left that journalism is the last thing on their minds. First, Levant prevailed on the Debates Commission to allow his agitators five questions in the scrum following Wednesday’s French-language debate, claiming that Rebel News had 16 divisions and threatening to again sue, as he did last election in order to gain accreditation. That led to Rebel News and other right-wing news outlets, such as True North and Juno News, dominating the scrum with long-winded accusatory statements that often bore little resemblance to coherent questions. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh wisely refused to even answer them, noting that Rebel News spreads disinformation. Then the following night at the English-language debate, the Rebels crashed the CBC’s live panel, forcing it off the air briefly. Levant was questioned by the Debates Commission, but he and his team were allowed to remain. As word spread that the post-debate scrum was being cancelled over security concerns, however, acrimony grew in press row, with real journalists blaming the poseurs. “I gave Ezra Levant a real piece of my mind,” admitted Ricochet’s Ethan Cox. “And I stand by those comments.” Cox also objected to Keean Bexte of The Counter Signal, a former Rebel News employee, asking questions that were “long-winded statements largely focused on attacking Liberal leader Mark Carney.” Stuart Benson of the Hill Times also got into it with Bexte, and they were quickly joined by Levant and surrounded by a circle of cell phones recording the confrontation even as the debate began. “Bexte and Ezra were doing what they do best: needling someone in the hope of provoking a reaction,” noted Cox.
The fallout has included revelations which leave little doubt that the Rebels are partisans who have no place being accredited as journalists. The first was that both Rebel News and a second outfit owned by Levant called ForCanada were registered with Elections Canada as third-party advocacy groups. A ForCanada truck covered with video screens circled the debate venue blaring ads that suggested Liberal leader Mark Carney has been compromised by China and the World Economic Forum.
Even more troubling was a tidbit unearthed by historian Mark Bourrie, whose new biography of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is titled Ripper. In a bizarre twist, Bourrie revealed that Poilievre was communications director for a political campaign by Levant more than two decades ago. Bourrie noted that while he was a student in international relations, Poilievre was part of an “historically important clique” at the University of Calgary that “became a large part of the core of the modern Conservative movement.” The group also included Levant, then a young lawyer who sought nomination as the Canadian Alliance candidate in the riding of Calgary Southwest. Poilievre helped run Levant’s bid, according to Bourrie, spending more than $100,000 of campaign money on TV commercials and billboard ads. One TV commercial bizarrely even featured Poilievre and his current campaign manager Jenni Byrne posing as an Alberta family. (more...)
Rebel News again proves that it’s not doing journalism
It’s all kicked off again. This time it’s journalist Ethan Cox calling out Rebel News pic.twitter.com/0gji6w2Mkv
— Harry North (@hsnorth_) April 18, 2025
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