Rebel News Commander Ezra Levant, three days after his arrest for allegedly “breaching the peace” while filming a pro-Hamas rally, is back in court defending his right to advertize his book. Levant on Sunday was covering the terrorist-glorifying protest in a Jewish neighbourhod, when he was arrested, searched and detained for two hours. On Wednesday, Levant appeared for his fourth hearing at the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto to defend lawn signs he put up around the time of the 2019 election promoting a book he wrote that is critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Librano$: What The Media Won’t Tell You About Justin Trudeau’s Corruption was one of 24 books published about Trudeau in 2019 — and the only one investigated by Elections Canada. “It’s been five years but they won’t stop hounding me,” said Levant in a statement prior to Wednesday’s court date, estimating elections officials have spent millions in taxpayer dollars so far. .Rebel News wins first fight in court, but the battle may not be over.The elections commissioner at the time, Yves Côté, who is now retired, said Rebel prior to erecting the lawn signs was supposed to register as a campaign advertiser and fined the media organization $3,000.“(Elections Canada) claimed my book wasn’t a real book, but rather an unregistered, illegal campaign contribution. But of course it was a real book — in fact, it was a best-seller. But it criticized Trudeau, so Elections Canada wouldn’t stand for that.”As the Western Standard earlier reported, while federal elections officials spent four years of resources prosecuting Rebel News for allegedly improper signage, they never prosecuted any Chinese Communist Party agents despite significant allegations of foreign interference made by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)..Feds spent four years prosecuting Rebel News rather than foreign spies.Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard confirmed during the Commission on Foreign Interference CSIS memos and hundreds of complaints alleged foreign interference during the 2019 and 2021 federal election campaigns, yet Elections Canada “allocated far greater resources” to what were deemed “domestic actors” — Rebel News and their lawn signs the Trudeau Government did not like. Levant explain on social media the investigation “was against the lawn signs — but the lawn signs were simply the cover of the book with the three words, ‘buy the book.’” “This is the fourth hearing I've had over that book. Elections Canada had two different internal trials; and then we were at the Federal Court. And now we're here at the Federal Court of Appeal. With eight government lawyers. No chance this has cost taxpayers less than $1 million.”.Rebel News loses court battle over 'election signs'.Levant, represented by Calgary-based lawyer Sarah Miller, faced off in court against four government lawyers from the justice department and four “observing” government articling students. “But that wasn't enough for Trudeau. He has also hired lawyers from the expensive Bay Street firm, Borden Ladner Gervais,” tweeted Levant from the courtroom.“Because money is no object when you're censoring a journalist.”Miller argued there are two issues with the case against Rebel: whether Levant’s book illegally "coincided" with the 2019 election, and whether the lawn sign promotion of the book was illegal. “The legal question turns on what is or is not election advertising,” Miller told Federal Court of Appeal Justices Donald Rennie, John Laskin and Wyman Webb.“Elections Canada banned our lawn signs because they say they're doing more than promoting the sale of the book. But that can't destroy the immunity for the promotion of books — or then the law makes no sense.”“You can promote a book and do other things, and still be legal. The promotion of the book may seem partisan, but they're promoting a book, and they're explicitly permitted in the law.”“Because the lawn signs criticized the Liberal Party, Elections Canada claimed it was no longer allowed as a book promotion — even if it was simply the book cover and the words ‘buy the book.’”Miller asked the court to declare the election commissioner's assertion as “unreasonable” and asked that their ruling be set aside.“Trudeau is a book-banner, and he's spent a million dollars and five years of Election Canada's time coming for me, because I embarrassed him in a book,” wrote Levant.“We have an uphill battle -- the standard of review is quite permissive; it allows the election commissioner to be wrong.”
Rebel News Commander Ezra Levant, three days after his arrest for allegedly “breaching the peace” while filming a pro-Hamas rally, is back in court defending his right to advertize his book. Levant on Sunday was covering the terrorist-glorifying protest in a Jewish neighbourhod, when he was arrested, searched and detained for two hours. On Wednesday, Levant appeared for his fourth hearing at the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto to defend lawn signs he put up around the time of the 2019 election promoting a book he wrote that is critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Librano$: What The Media Won’t Tell You About Justin Trudeau’s Corruption was one of 24 books published about Trudeau in 2019 — and the only one investigated by Elections Canada. “It’s been five years but they won’t stop hounding me,” said Levant in a statement prior to Wednesday’s court date, estimating elections officials have spent millions in taxpayer dollars so far. .Rebel News wins first fight in court, but the battle may not be over.The elections commissioner at the time, Yves Côté, who is now retired, said Rebel prior to erecting the lawn signs was supposed to register as a campaign advertiser and fined the media organization $3,000.“(Elections Canada) claimed my book wasn’t a real book, but rather an unregistered, illegal campaign contribution. But of course it was a real book — in fact, it was a best-seller. But it criticized Trudeau, so Elections Canada wouldn’t stand for that.”As the Western Standard earlier reported, while federal elections officials spent four years of resources prosecuting Rebel News for allegedly improper signage, they never prosecuted any Chinese Communist Party agents despite significant allegations of foreign interference made by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)..Feds spent four years prosecuting Rebel News rather than foreign spies.Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard confirmed during the Commission on Foreign Interference CSIS memos and hundreds of complaints alleged foreign interference during the 2019 and 2021 federal election campaigns, yet Elections Canada “allocated far greater resources” to what were deemed “domestic actors” — Rebel News and their lawn signs the Trudeau Government did not like. Levant explain on social media the investigation “was against the lawn signs — but the lawn signs were simply the cover of the book with the three words, ‘buy the book.’” “This is the fourth hearing I've had over that book. Elections Canada had two different internal trials; and then we were at the Federal Court. And now we're here at the Federal Court of Appeal. With eight government lawyers. No chance this has cost taxpayers less than $1 million.”.Rebel News loses court battle over 'election signs'.Levant, represented by Calgary-based lawyer Sarah Miller, faced off in court against four government lawyers from the justice department and four “observing” government articling students. “But that wasn't enough for Trudeau. He has also hired lawyers from the expensive Bay Street firm, Borden Ladner Gervais,” tweeted Levant from the courtroom.“Because money is no object when you're censoring a journalist.”Miller argued there are two issues with the case against Rebel: whether Levant’s book illegally "coincided" with the 2019 election, and whether the lawn sign promotion of the book was illegal. “The legal question turns on what is or is not election advertising,” Miller told Federal Court of Appeal Justices Donald Rennie, John Laskin and Wyman Webb.“Elections Canada banned our lawn signs because they say they're doing more than promoting the sale of the book. But that can't destroy the immunity for the promotion of books — or then the law makes no sense.”“You can promote a book and do other things, and still be legal. The promotion of the book may seem partisan, but they're promoting a book, and they're explicitly permitted in the law.”“Because the lawn signs criticized the Liberal Party, Elections Canada claimed it was no longer allowed as a book promotion — even if it was simply the book cover and the words ‘buy the book.’”Miller asked the court to declare the election commissioner's assertion as “unreasonable” and asked that their ruling be set aside.“Trudeau is a book-banner, and he's spent a million dollars and five years of Election Canada's time coming for me, because I embarrassed him in a book,” wrote Levant.“We have an uphill battle -- the standard of review is quite permissive; it allows the election commissioner to be wrong.”
