Rebel News Podcast - DAVID MENZIES ｜ Everyone loses out if there are no second chances

00:00:00.000 Tonight, in this day and age of cancel culture, who gets a second chance and who does not?

00:00:22.860 It's Thursday, November 17th, 2022. I'm David Menzies, and this is the Ezra Levent Show.

00:00:33.800 Perhaps you've heard about Mitchell Miller, a talented National Hockey League class defenseman.

00:00:52.980 Who will very likely never play a single game in the NHL.

00:00:57.980 This state of affairs has nothing to do with a contract dispute nor a career-ending injury,

00:01:02.900 but rather something Miller did when he was, as the saying goes, younger and dumber.

00:01:10.020 Now, if you're not a sports fan, don't fret, for the following is not a hockey commentary,

00:01:15.660 nor a commentary on any professional sport, for that matter.

00:01:19.380 No, this is a rant about second chances. Who gets them? Who doesn't? And why?

00:01:26.600 So back to the 20-year-old Miller. He was originally the property of the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him in 2020.

00:01:34.520 But Arizona took a pass on the 20-year-old when the club learned about his unsavory past.

00:01:41.020 Miller was then acquired by the Boston Bruins, who signed Miller to an entry-level contract.

00:01:48.580 However, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stepped in and declared that Miller is not eligible to play in the National Hockey League,

00:01:58.080 thereby forcing Boston to rescind their contract with the defensemen earlier this month.

00:02:04.300 So why is it that Miller seems to be so toxic?

00:02:09.420 Well, it goes back some six years ago when he was still in high school.

00:02:14.400 Miller pleaded guilty at age 14 to one count of assault and one count of violation of the Ohio Safe Schools Act.

00:02:21.880 He and another teenager were accused of making another student, Isaiah Meyer Crothers,

00:02:28.920 eat a candy push pop after wiping it in a bathroom urinal.

00:02:34.320 Surveillance video showed them kicking and punching Meyer Crothers.

00:02:39.460 And this was apparently not an isolated incident.

00:02:43.460 Meyer Crothers' mother, Joni, told the Arizona Republic that Miller started bullying her son in second grade.

00:02:50.900 That included physical abuse as well as the use of racial slurs.

00:02:56.360 Isaiah Meyer Crothers, it should be noted, is black and he suffers from developmental disabilities.

00:03:04.000 While Miller sent a letter to all 31 NHL teams acknowledging what happened and apologized for his behavior,

00:03:11.760 his mother claims Miller never personally apologized to Isaiah or their family.

00:03:17.320 Now, first things first, folks, what Miller did to Isaiah was despicable and truly beyond the pale.

00:03:26.520 He physically assaulted Isaiah, forced him to eat a contaminated foodstuff, repeatedly called him the N-word.

00:03:36.280 It is equal part saddening and infuriating that this sort of behavior can still exist today.

00:03:43.020 Really, what the hell was Miller thinking?

00:03:46.940 In the aftermath of the Bruins signing and then unsigning Miller,

00:03:51.860 Boston Bruins President Cam Neely said in a statement that the organization originally thought

00:03:57.420 Miller's bullying of Isaiah Meyer Crothers was an isolated incident.

00:04:03.120 However, the club reversed course based on new information it received.

00:04:08.140 Indeed, the team is now in damage control mode.

00:04:10.560 Recently, the Bruins hired a law firm led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch

00:04:16.360 to review their player vetting process to make certain they never signed someone like Mitchell Miller again.

00:04:24.200 As for Miller's future, at least when it comes to playing professional hockey in North America,

00:04:29.620 things look grim, just too much baggage.

00:04:32.340 And while many observers in the mainstream media and elsewhere are downright giddy

00:04:38.140 over what appears to be the permanent cancellation of Miller's professional hockey career,

00:04:44.400 forgive me for saying that I do not subscribe to this cancel culture chorus.

00:04:51.240 Again, I want to make it clear that Miller's behavior as a teenager was disgusting.

00:04:58.480 I also want to make it clear that I have great empathy in my heart for Isaiah Meyer Crothers.

00:05:06.280 I say this because I know what it's like to be bullied.

00:05:10.000 Back in 1975, I attended grade 8 in a new school in a different province,

00:05:14.600 and I endured a year of physical and verbal hell

00:05:18.640 simply because I was that proverbial new kid in town without a single friend.

00:05:24.040 That year remains perhaps the worst year I have experienced in my entire life.

00:05:30.600 But back to the Mitchell Miller Isaiah Meyer Crothers saga,

00:05:35.440 the more I read into it, the more I pondered if there is not another remedy here

00:05:41.260 other than permanent cancellation,

00:05:44.340 that there is not some sort of compromise in the offing

00:05:48.680 that would result in a win-win solution for both Isaiah and for Mitchell.

00:05:54.900 After all, even in the criminal justice system, second chances abound,

00:06:00.760 even when it comes to the worst sin of all,

00:06:03.240 namely someone intentionally taking the life of another.

00:06:07.720 Indeed, in our great dominion,

00:06:09.560 unless one is deemed to be a dangerous offender, which is very rare,

00:06:13.420 one is given a second chance to taste freedom

00:06:16.900 after 25 years of incarceration if convicted of first-degree murder.

00:06:23.160 And if any organization should know about second chances and ultimate sins,

00:06:30.000 surely it is the Boston Bruins hockey club.

00:06:33.120 I speak specifically of Craig McTavish.

00:06:36.400 Now, McTavish was drafted in 1978 by the Bruins

00:06:39.580 and played two full seasons for the club.

00:06:42.080 McTavish is known for being the last player in the NHL to play without a helmet,

00:06:47.640 but he's also known for something else.

00:06:50.620 For a 12-month period, he never played any hockey games at all.

00:06:55.280 That's because McTavish was doing prison time

00:06:58.140 given that he was found guilty of vecular homicide.

00:07:02.440 On the night of January 25, 1984, in Peabody, Massachusetts,

00:07:07.820 McTavish was behind the wheel of a car

00:07:09.760 and he was also under the influence of alcohol.

00:07:13.240 He would collide with another car driven by 26-year-old Kim Radley of West Newfield, Maine.

00:07:21.440 Radley would die in hospital four days later due to the injuries she sustained in the crash.

00:07:27.720 McTavish would eventually be sentenced to a year's imprisonment.

00:07:31.620 Now, I would argue that his sentence was a joke,

00:07:35.140 but nevertheless, after paying his debt to society,

00:07:39.140 was Craig McTavish cancelled by the NHL?

00:07:43.100 Oh, hardly.

00:07:44.520 He enjoyed a splendid playing career lasting almost two decades.

00:07:49.100 He played for a total of five NHL clubs

00:07:51.480 and actually got to hoist the Stanley Cup in 1994

00:07:55.060 as a member of the New York Rangers.

00:07:58.240 And when his playing days ended,

00:08:00.700 McTavish also enjoyed a lucrative career in the NHL,

00:08:04.820 first as a coach, then later as a general manager.

00:08:08.580 Indeed, prior to being convicted for the death of Radley,

00:08:12.620 the Bruins did not condemn McTavish,

00:08:14.960 but rather continued to embrace him.

00:08:18.040 Immediately after the accident,

00:08:19.700 McTavish did not play in the Bruins' next two games

00:08:22.700 due to a shoulder injury thanks to the collision

00:08:25.440 and, get this, due to, quote, emotional distress, end quote.

00:08:30.920 The Bruins' general manager at the time, Harry Sinden,

00:08:33.900 said McTavish's status with the team was unchanged.

00:08:38.620 Stated Sinden, quote,

00:08:40.300 he's still a full-fledged member of the team.

00:08:43.160 Like any injured player who is injured in mind or body,

00:08:46.800 we won't use him until he's ready to play

00:08:49.340 and right now he's in no state of mind to play.

00:08:52.180 End quote.

00:08:53.460 While Sinden was making this pronouncement,

00:08:56.700 Kim Radley was in no state of mind to do anything.

00:09:00.380 She was in a coma, fighting for her life in hospital

00:09:03.640 until she eventually succumbed to her injuries.

00:09:07.620 But the crux of the matter is this.

00:09:09.620 Craig McTavish paid his debt to society,

00:09:12.120 if you can call a one-year prison sentence,

00:09:14.840 a debt for taking a life,

00:09:16.340 and then was given a second chance by both society

00:09:20.060 and the National Hockey League.

00:09:23.160 It should be noted that Kim Radley,

00:09:25.640 mowed down in the prime of her life by the drunken McTavish,

00:09:29.460 never received a second chance.

00:09:31.980 You know, Kim Radley would be 64 today.

00:09:34.900 Maybe she'd be a mother, perhaps even a grandmother.

00:09:37.680 But she was killed.

00:09:38.900 Some would say murdered.

00:09:41.420 Surely her friends and surviving family members

00:09:43.960 still mourn Kim Radley,

00:09:46.240 whose only sin on January 24, 1984,

00:09:49.620 was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

00:09:53.640 But gee, how times have changed

00:09:55.200 vis-a-vis the Mitchell-Miller saga.

00:09:58.360 Indeed, it's been noted in media reports

00:10:00.920 that Boston opting to sign Miller

00:10:03.280 did not go over well with many of the team's players,

00:10:07.280 including Captain Patrice Bergeron,

00:10:10.040 who stated the following,

00:10:11.160 quote,

00:10:11.520 The culture that we built here

00:10:13.480 goes against that type of behavior.

00:10:16.400 In this locker room,

00:10:17.480 we're all about inclusion, diversity, respect, end quote.

00:10:20.960 How odd.

00:10:22.260 A drunken driver who took a life

00:10:24.280 fits into the inclusion, diversity,

00:10:27.360 and respect mantra

00:10:28.460 of the Boston Bruins Hockey Club.

00:10:30.920 But a prospect who was a bully

00:10:33.060 in his younger years,

00:10:34.840 he is forever cast out.

00:10:37.160 Fascinating.

00:10:38.680 Perhaps Miller's biggest misfortune

00:10:40.540 is that he's an American

00:10:41.820 as opposed to a Canadian.

00:10:43.840 In this country,

00:10:44.840 thanks to the Youth Criminal Justice Act,

00:10:47.560 if someone commits

00:10:48.680 the most heinous crime imaginable,

00:10:51.620 as long as that person

00:10:52.720 is one day younger than 18,

00:10:55.260 his identity will remain forever hidden.

00:10:58.420 That is not the case

00:10:59.720 south of the border, however.

00:11:01.960 And even when one is older than 18

00:11:04.640 and is publicly outed for their crime,

00:11:08.320 our nation seems to be all about

00:11:10.340 giving the most despicable people

00:11:12.800 second chances.

00:11:14.860 Case in point,

00:11:15.760 serial killer Carla Homolka,

00:11:18.220 thanks to the incompetence

00:11:19.580 of the Niagara Regional Police Service,

00:11:22.180 she is a free woman

00:11:23.540 who now resides in the Montreal area.

00:11:26.080 Along with her husband,

00:11:28.100 Paul Bernardo,

00:11:29.400 she was complicit in the deaths

00:11:30.940 of Leslie Mahaffey

00:11:32.200 and Christian French,

00:11:34.160 and even her own younger sister,

00:11:36.460 Tammy Homolka.

00:11:38.040 Oh, but life goes on

00:11:39.640 thanks to Homolka

00:11:40.880 getting off scot-free

00:11:42.540 on essentially a technicality.

00:11:45.680 At the time,

00:11:46.460 Homolka's plea deal

00:11:47.700 was described as a,

00:11:49.000 quote,

00:11:49.420 deal with the devil,

00:11:50.700 end quote.

00:11:51.880 But nevertheless,

00:11:52.980 after a few years in the slammer,

00:11:54.880 Homolka got to skate

00:11:56.780 on July 4th, 2005,

00:12:00.100 even though the presiding judge

00:12:01.780 at the time cautioned

00:12:03.380 that she still posed

00:12:05.600 as a risk

00:12:06.340 to the public at large.

00:12:08.240 And then there's our very own

00:12:10.360 homegrown Al-Qaeda terrorist,

00:12:12.500 Omar Khadar.

00:12:14.040 He murdered an American ally

00:12:15.740 and partially blinded another.

00:12:18.380 He confessed to these crimes.

00:12:19.920 And yet,

00:12:20.720 after being released

00:12:21.800 from Gitmo Bay,

00:12:23.440 the Justin Trudeau liberals

00:12:24.560 thought Omar was deserving

00:12:26.300 of a $10.5 million check

00:12:29.680 in 2016

00:12:31.120 due to Omar Khadar

00:12:32.860 essentially suffering

00:12:33.940 from hurt feelings.

00:12:36.620 These days,

00:12:37.480 not only is Omar Khadar

00:12:39.400 living life high off

00:12:40.980 the non-halal hog,

00:12:42.760 but he gets invitations

00:12:44.560 to speak at certain

00:12:45.940 woke universities.

00:12:48.320 And apparently,

00:12:49.180 the authorities

00:12:49.800 routinely turn a blind eye

00:12:51.740 to enforcing

00:12:52.700 the no-fly list

00:12:54.100 when it comes to this

00:12:55.560 grenade-throwing enthusiast

00:12:57.320 who tends to hop aboard

00:12:59.180 Air Canada flights

00:13:00.500 no problem.

00:13:01.880 Hey,

00:13:02.380 forgive and forget, eh?

00:13:04.820 Meanwhile,

00:13:05.740 just what was the liberals

00:13:06.820 unspoken motivation

00:13:08.060 behind that unnecessary

00:13:09.540 and immoral

00:13:10.820 eight-figure payoff to Omar?

00:13:12.660 Were they trying to curry favor

00:13:15.020 with the Islamo-fascist

00:13:16.980 demographic in Canada?

00:13:18.940 If so,

00:13:20.220 mission accomplished, guys,

00:13:21.560 because what a message

00:13:23.280 that was sent by you.

00:13:25.480 Namely,

00:13:25.980 commit terrorism

00:13:26.740 against our allies

00:13:27.780 and not only will you

00:13:28.780 not be punished,

00:13:29.980 but you might just get

00:13:31.520 a lotto 649 payoff.

00:13:34.140 Wow.

00:13:35.300 Please bring me

00:13:36.320 the head of the man

00:13:37.120 who coined the phrase

00:13:38.160 crime doesn't pay,

00:13:39.620 will you?

00:13:39.980 But then again,

00:13:41.760 Justin Trudeau

00:13:42.420 is a prime minister

00:13:43.280 who has become accustomed

00:13:44.820 to being the recipient

00:13:46.560 of multiple

00:13:48.220 second chances.

00:13:50.180 He can repeatedly

00:13:50.960 don blackface

00:13:52.180 or he can grope

00:13:53.380 a female reporter

00:13:54.360 or he can commit

00:13:55.600 numerous ethics code

00:13:56.900 violations

00:13:57.420 or he can lie

00:13:58.700 through his teeth

00:13:59.400 about everything,

00:14:00.980 but in the eyes of many,

00:14:02.180 including too many members

00:14:03.480 of the media party,

00:14:04.600 which he continues

00:14:05.540 to fund with

00:14:06.340 your money,

00:14:07.220 of course,

00:14:07.800 it's no harm,

00:14:09.040 no foul.

00:14:10.000 Hey,

00:14:10.260 give him another chance

00:14:11.160 already,

00:14:11.640 will you?

00:14:12.280 He'll do better

00:14:13.180 next time.

00:14:14.640 Seven years later,

00:14:15.560 we're still waiting

00:14:16.560 for the proof

00:14:17.540 in the pudding

00:14:18.280 regarding that

00:14:19.360 hollow promise,

00:14:20.620 which brings me back

00:14:22.580 yet again

00:14:23.160 to Mitchell Miller

00:14:23.920 and the increasingly

00:14:25.380 complicated matter

00:14:26.620 of second chances

00:14:27.840 and who gets them

00:14:29.580 and who does not.

00:14:31.880 You know,

00:14:32.300 I think I may have

00:14:33.340 a solution here.

00:14:34.680 How about the NHL

00:14:36.300 gives Miller

00:14:37.600 a second chance

00:14:38.800 just as it did

00:14:39.960 to Greg McTavish

00:14:41.060 decades ago

00:14:42.480 who committed

00:14:43.480 a far more

00:14:44.820 egregious sin?

00:14:46.800 And secondly,

00:14:47.700 with an NHL contract

00:14:49.580 under his belt,

00:14:51.340 let's compel Miller

00:14:52.360 to make amends

00:14:53.440 for his despicable

00:14:55.180 past treatment

00:14:56.400 of Isaiah,

00:14:57.780 which is to say,

00:14:58.880 how about Miller

00:14:59.580 enters into an agreement

00:15:00.780 to pay Isaiah

00:15:01.800 a percentage

00:15:02.560 of his contract

00:15:03.960 or a significant

00:15:05.460 lump sum?

00:15:06.380 He's not legally

00:15:08.280 bound to do so,

00:15:09.260 of course,

00:15:09.720 but from a moral

00:15:11.020 and ethical standpoint,

00:15:13.380 it would be

00:15:14.120 the right thing

00:15:14.800 to do.

00:15:16.020 I think my solution

00:15:17.300 is win-win.

00:15:19.020 Miller moves on

00:15:20.020 with his life

00:15:20.740 as a professional

00:15:21.560 hockey player

00:15:22.300 while Isaiah

00:15:23.620 is given reparations

00:15:25.280 for all the cruelty

00:15:27.240 he endured years ago

00:15:28.920 at the hands of Miller.

00:15:30.880 Is this really

00:15:32.020 too much of an ask?

00:15:33.560 Or in 2022,

00:15:36.900 in this day and age

00:15:38.100 of political correctness

00:15:39.460 and wokeism

00:15:40.720 and Marxist mobsters

00:15:42.640 tearing down statues

00:15:44.020 with impunity,

00:15:45.520 has the concept

00:15:46.680 of a second chance,

00:15:48.620 at least for certain offenders,

00:15:51.020 gone by the wayside?

00:15:52.780 If so,

00:15:54.320 Western society,

00:15:55.900 which is continually

00:15:56.980 under the ongoing

00:15:58.340 tyranny

00:15:59.020 of cancel culture,

00:16:01.480 is all the poor

00:16:02.680 for it?

00:16:03.640 Well, folks,

00:16:16.020 during her first

00:16:16.940 press conference

00:16:17.900 as Premier of Alberta,

00:16:20.060 Danielle Smith

00:16:20.880 said she plans

00:16:22.080 to make new arguments

00:16:23.840 to the Supreme Court

00:16:25.420 against Ottawa's

00:16:27.220 carbon tax.

00:16:28.480 The question is,

00:16:29.700 will she be successful?

00:16:32.140 And hopefully,

00:16:33.440 I have the men

00:16:34.320 who can give us

00:16:34.980 an answer to that question

00:16:36.140 and that would be

00:16:36.940 Franco Teresano,

00:16:38.140 who is the Federal Director

00:16:39.740 of the Canadian

00:16:41.200 Taxpayers Federation.

00:16:43.300 Hey, Franco,

00:16:43.940 how are you doing,

00:16:44.900 my friend?

00:16:46.000 I'm doing great.

00:16:46.820 Thanks so much

00:16:47.260 for having me on today.

00:16:48.320 Well, my pleasure

00:16:49.220 as always.

00:16:49.780 Well, you know what?

00:16:50.440 That was music

00:16:51.700 to my ears.

00:16:52.660 There's a premier

00:16:53.520 in our great dominion

00:16:55.340 that is saying

00:16:56.680 this is a nonsensical,

00:16:59.460 economy-harming,

00:17:00.800 Canadian-harming tax,

00:17:03.140 that would be

00:17:03.500 the carbon tax,

00:17:04.620 which keeps going

00:17:05.780 up and up and up

00:17:07.180 under the Justin Trudeau

00:17:08.620 Liberals.

00:17:10.340 Franco,

00:17:10.900 I guess the main

00:17:12.080 question is,

00:17:13.100 is this political

00:17:14.240 theatre,

00:17:15.260 Daniel Smith,

00:17:16.520 going to bat

00:17:17.260 for Albertans

00:17:18.040 just for the sake

00:17:19.220 of going to bat,

00:17:20.280 you know,

00:17:20.600 knowing that deep down

00:17:22.040 there's no way

00:17:22.680 she can win this?

00:17:23.800 Or is there

00:17:25.060 that proverbial

00:17:26.100 snowball's chance

00:17:27.040 in hell

00:17:27.400 that she might

00:17:28.360 pull out a victory here?

00:17:29.500 No,

00:17:30.620 Premier Smith

00:17:31.320 is doing what

00:17:32.500 Albertans want

00:17:33.640 their premier to do.

00:17:35.100 Look,

00:17:35.540 every chance

00:17:36.320 Albertans have got

00:17:37.380 to vote,

00:17:38.540 it has been to vote

00:17:39.420 against the carbon tax.

00:17:40.740 It is to stop

00:17:41.620 being treated

00:17:42.100 like the cash cow

00:17:43.080 of Confederation.

00:17:44.540 And look,

00:17:45.060 the Trudeau government

00:17:45.840 carbon tax

00:17:46.520 is all economic pain

00:17:47.700 without the environmental gain.

00:17:49.280 And it is doing

00:17:49.840 real harm

00:17:50.600 to many Alberta families.

00:17:51.980 Let me just give you

00:17:52.580 some numbers here

00:17:53.520 on the actual cost.

00:17:55.280 This year alone,

00:17:56.260 even after the rebates,

00:17:58.400 the carbon tax

00:17:59.300 will cost

00:17:59.900 the average

00:18:00.440 Alberta household

00:18:01.320 $671.

00:18:04.460 That's from the government's

00:18:05.460 own independent

00:18:06.140 budget watchdog.

00:18:07.340 But of course,

00:18:07.760 it's getting worse

00:18:08.440 because the Trudeau government

00:18:09.440 is going to continue

00:18:10.260 to crank up

00:18:11.180 the carbon tax

00:18:12.080 to nearly 40 cents

00:18:13.460 per litre of gas

00:18:14.240 by 2030.

00:18:15.420 So if you look

00:18:15.900 from now

00:18:16.520 all the way

00:18:17.500 through 2030,

00:18:18.720 the carbon tax

00:18:19.640 will cost

00:18:20.200 the average

00:18:20.760 Alberta household

00:18:21.680 about $13,000

00:18:24.300 over that time period

00:18:26.160 even after the rebates.

00:18:28.120 You know,

00:18:28.640 this is very important,

00:18:29.620 Franco,

00:18:29.900 because I know

00:18:30.320 these checks

00:18:31.080 are going out

00:18:32.400 with the carbon tax rebate

00:18:34.280 and maybe Canadians

00:18:35.400 who aren't so in tune

00:18:37.280 with what's going on

00:18:38.660 are probably like,

00:18:40.160 oh, isn't that nice?

00:18:41.160 I've got this nice little gift

00:18:42.580 we can, you know,

00:18:43.880 pay down a credit card bill

00:18:45.280 or something like that.

00:18:46.380 And yet what you're saying

00:18:47.680 is that net

00:18:49.440 you are running

00:18:50.580 negative $671.

00:18:55.660 I'm just wondering,

00:18:57.200 is there really

00:18:58.260 an awareness

00:18:58.960 when it comes

00:18:59.960 to the numbers

00:19:00.520 you've crunched

00:19:01.580 amongst, you know,

00:19:02.720 just regular Canadians

00:19:03.960 out there, Franco?

00:19:05.620 Well, here's the problem.

00:19:07.200 You have the federal government

00:19:08.320 playing word games

00:19:09.440 with Canadians.

00:19:10.660 We've heard

00:19:10.980 the Trudeau government

00:19:11.700 time and again

00:19:12.480 mislead Canadians

00:19:13.640 saying that

00:19:14.320 the carbon tax

00:19:15.420 and rebates

00:19:16.080 will make families

00:19:17.340 better off.

00:19:18.500 Well, the parliamentary

00:19:19.200 budget officer,

00:19:20.100 that's the government's

00:19:21.340 independent,

00:19:22.000 non-partisan budget watchdog

00:19:24.260 is showing

00:19:24.960 that the Trudeau government

00:19:26.100 is using magic math.

00:19:27.240 Let me just repeat

00:19:27.820 the numbers one more time

00:19:28.940 because it is so staggering.

00:19:30.780 This year,

00:19:31.380 net,

00:19:31.840 even after the rebates,

00:19:32.920 the carbon tax

00:19:33.640 will cost the average

00:19:34.440 household $671.

00:19:37.080 From now

00:19:37.760 through to 2030,

00:19:39.280 the Trudeau government

00:19:40.060 carbon tax

00:19:40.740 will cost the average

00:19:41.780 Alberta household

00:19:42.480 more than $13,000

00:19:44.660 between now

00:19:45.900 through 2030

00:19:46.740 even after the rebate.

00:19:48.060 So the Trudeau government

00:19:48.880 is running around,

00:19:50.640 increasing the price

00:19:51.560 of gasoline

00:19:52.140 and to add insult

00:19:53.280 to injury,

00:19:54.260 misleading Canadians.

00:19:55.700 You know,

00:19:55.980 it's amazing, Franco,

00:19:57.080 because I hearken back

00:19:57.900 a few years ago,

00:19:58.700 it was just on the,

00:20:00.420 during the aftermath

00:20:01.020 of the Jody Wilson-Raybould

00:20:04.260 scandal

00:20:05.880 and SNC-Lavalin

00:20:07.240 and you had Trudeau

00:20:08.340 and senior liberals

00:20:09.860 in Toronto

00:20:10.920 at the music hall.

00:20:11.980 It was really a kind of

00:20:12.820 like a political campaign event

00:20:15.400 and Catherine McKenna,

00:20:19.540 then the,

00:20:21.200 I guess the Minister

00:20:22.260 of the Environment

00:20:22.980 and Climate Change,

00:20:24.500 she was selling

00:20:25.800 the carbon tax

00:20:26.920 and basically her pitch

00:20:28.920 and I couldn't believe it

00:20:29.880 was hands up

00:20:31.300 everybody here

00:20:32.160 who is against pollution.

00:20:33.880 Well, of course,

00:20:34.900 no reasonable person

00:20:36.000 is going to go,

00:20:36.700 no, I'm for pollution,

00:20:38.020 but that's not

00:20:39.160 what the carbon tax

00:20:40.300 is about,

00:20:41.120 but that's how

00:20:41.800 these liberals

00:20:42.480 are selling it.

00:20:43.700 What are your thoughts,

00:20:44.500 my friend?

00:20:45.860 All economic pain,

00:20:47.140 no environmental gain.

00:20:48.500 Right on the West Coast,

00:20:49.640 you have British Columbia,

00:20:50.520 which has had

00:20:51.180 the highest carbon tax

00:20:52.460 in Canada for years

00:20:53.920 and what have emissions done?

00:20:55.700 Well, they continued

00:20:56.520 to go up

00:20:57.800 and up.

00:20:58.620 I mean, look,

00:20:59.880 I think everyone

00:21:00.900 wants to have

00:21:01.840 a great environment,

00:21:03.640 but what the carbon tax

00:21:04.700 is doing

00:21:05.200 is punishing you

00:21:06.560 for fueling up your car

00:21:07.680 on the way to work.

00:21:08.560 It's punishing you

00:21:09.520 for heating your home

00:21:10.460 during the cold winter months

00:21:12.060 that all Albertans

00:21:13.200 and all Canadians experience.

00:21:15.280 And look,

00:21:15.840 even if you look

00:21:16.520 around the globe,

00:21:17.760 Canada makes up

00:21:18.440 such a small percentage

00:21:19.840 of global emissions.

00:21:21.380 So even if

00:21:22.320 the Trudeau government

00:21:23.580 brought all of our industries

00:21:25.040 to a screeching halt,

00:21:26.680 which sometimes

00:21:27.460 it seems like

00:21:28.100 that's what the government

00:21:28.880 is trying to do

00:21:30.040 during some days,

00:21:31.540 well, even if it did that,

00:21:32.680 it still wouldn't do anything

00:21:34.140 or do much

00:21:34.940 for the global environment.

00:21:36.340 Now, what we have seen

00:21:37.220 is we have seen

00:21:38.420 the Trudeau government

00:21:39.180 continue to raise

00:21:40.080 the carbon tax

00:21:40.940 three times

00:21:41.960 since the beginning

00:21:42.500 of COVID-19,

00:21:43.600 all while many other countries

00:21:45.740 have cut gas taxes.

00:21:47.620 Australia cut its gas tax in half.

00:21:49.720 You had the United Kingdom

00:21:50.840 announce big-time

00:21:52.240 gas tax relief.

00:21:53.260 You had the Netherlands.

00:21:54.160 You had South Korea

00:21:55.100 announce gas tax relief as well.

00:21:57.120 So while Ottawa

00:21:58.120 continues to raise

00:21:59.500 our tax bills,

00:22:00.640 other countries

00:22:01.460 are cutting gas taxes.

00:22:03.640 And you know,

00:22:04.200 I want to take a deep dive

00:22:06.440 into that issue too, Franco,

00:22:07.860 because if you look

00:22:09.160 at the price

00:22:10.020 of a litre of gas

00:22:11.220 in Canada

00:22:11.760 and twas ever thus

00:22:12.760 going back decades,

00:22:14.220 so much of that

00:22:15.940 price that you're paying

00:22:17.740 is taxes

00:22:18.780 of one kind

00:22:19.560 or another.

00:22:20.360 And originally,

00:22:22.000 the reason

00:22:23.060 for those taxes

00:22:24.060 going on

00:22:24.700 to those gallons

00:22:25.580 and then litres of gas

00:22:26.820 was that it was

00:22:27.960 to maintain existing roads

00:22:29.740 and build new roads.

00:22:31.660 But we all know

00:22:33.060 all that money,

00:22:34.360 all those billions

00:22:35.180 goes into that

00:22:36.020 nebulous black hole

00:22:37.540 called general revenues.

00:22:39.380 So I guess

00:22:39.820 what I'm saying

00:22:40.280 is that if I knew

00:22:41.480 I was paying carbon tax

00:22:42.580 on a litre of gas

00:22:43.480 and it was to build

00:22:45.260 more road infrastructure,

00:22:46.600 I might have a soft spot

00:22:47.980 in my heart for that.

00:22:49.580 But that's not

00:22:50.480 the case at all,

00:22:51.280 is it?

00:22:51.680 Well,

00:22:52.580 and let's just remember

00:22:53.640 that the carbon tax

00:22:55.040 is being layered on

00:22:56.380 to the fuel tax,

00:22:57.940 right?

00:22:58.800 So we're seeing

00:22:59.920 a layering

00:23:00.620 of cost

00:23:01.500 after cost

00:23:02.280 after cost

00:23:02.900 at the worst possible time.

00:23:04.320 And you know,

00:23:04.620 I hate to be

00:23:05.300 the bearer

00:23:06.240 of even more bad news,

00:23:07.880 but the Trudeau government

00:23:09.180 is getting ready

00:23:10.080 to hammer Canadians

00:23:10.940 next year

00:23:11.640 with a second carbon tax

00:23:13.640 through fuel regulations,

00:23:15.760 okay?

00:23:16.140 And that

00:23:16.820 will increase

00:23:17.600 the price of gasoline

00:23:18.600 by up to 13 cents

00:23:20.360 a litre by 2030.

00:23:22.020 Now,

00:23:22.380 there is no rebates

00:23:23.560 coming with the second

00:23:24.520 carbon tax

00:23:25.280 and the second carbon tax

00:23:26.960 is not replacing

00:23:28.060 the current one

00:23:29.420 is being layered

00:23:30.440 on top.

00:23:31.820 Now,

00:23:32.400 you know what?

00:23:32.920 Let's get back

00:23:33.500 to what's going on

00:23:34.260 in Alberta.

00:23:35.140 Premier Smith,

00:23:36.100 she's right to stick up

00:23:37.580 for Albertans

00:23:38.320 against those money-hungry

00:23:39.520 politicians in Ottawa,

00:23:40.940 but she has to do,

00:23:42.440 she has to go even further

00:23:43.660 to protect Alberta taxpayers

00:23:45.180 because she needs

00:23:46.140 to protect Albertans

00:23:47.680 from money-hungry

00:23:48.940 politicians at home.

00:23:50.720 And the best way

00:23:51.520 for her to do that

00:23:52.500 is to live up

00:23:53.520 to a 2019

00:23:54.380 United Conservative

00:23:55.480 election promise

00:23:56.580 to expand

00:23:57.760 the Provincial Taxpayer

00:23:59.460 Protection Act

00:24:00.240 to also include

00:24:01.900 the carbon tax.

00:24:03.480 And,

00:24:04.100 you know,

00:24:04.400 Franco,

00:24:04.800 here's the thing,

00:24:06.020 all indicators

00:24:06.880 are pointing to next year,

00:24:08.320 2023,

00:24:09.560 as being a brutal one

00:24:11.180 in terms of inflation,

00:24:12.840 in terms of,

00:24:13.800 you know,

00:24:14.180 heating and energy costs

00:24:15.400 going up.

00:24:15.920 And there just seems

00:24:17.660 to be this stubbornness

00:24:19.580 by the Trudeau Liberals,

00:24:21.380 and I think it's all

00:24:22.580 in the name of

00:24:23.460 virtue signaling

00:24:24.420 that we're going to

00:24:25.940 keep increasing

00:24:26.980 the carbon taxes

00:24:28.400 to fight climate change.

00:24:31.340 But isn't there

00:24:32.540 a way out for them?

00:24:33.940 Couldn't they say,

00:24:34.760 you know what,

00:24:35.120 we are committed against

00:24:36.360 the fight against

00:24:37.300 climate change,

00:24:38.380 but given the economic

00:24:40.780 hardship,

00:24:41.480 given that so many

00:24:42.340 Canadians,

00:24:43.360 you here are in the

00:24:44.280 position of eat

00:24:45.420 or heat,

00:24:46.720 we have to

00:24:47.980 take the foot

00:24:49.120 off the accelerator.

00:24:50.700 We have to scale back now.

00:24:52.600 Now is not the right time

00:24:54.260 to keep increasing

00:24:55.960 these loathsome taxes.

00:24:58.040 Why won't they do that,

00:25:00.120 Franco?

00:25:00.440 I just don't see

00:25:01.720 the loss here,

00:25:03.720 especially if you're

00:25:04.660 looking ahead

00:25:05.340 at some point,

00:25:06.800 maybe it's 2023,

00:25:08.040 2024,

00:25:08.780 who knows,

00:25:09.440 there's going to be

00:25:10.020 an election.

00:25:10.520 they have to be seen

00:25:12.860 as doing something

00:25:13.920 positive for the economy.

00:25:17.000 Yeah, I mean,

00:25:17.900 you would think so.

00:25:19.580 You know,

00:25:20.080 I can't believe

00:25:20.520 I have to say this,

00:25:21.820 but at the very least,

00:25:22.880 it should have been

00:25:23.260 a no-brainer

00:25:24.200 for the federal government

00:25:26.060 to not raise taxes

00:25:28.060 during the lockdowns

00:25:30.040 when you had so many

00:25:30.940 people losing their job,

00:25:32.580 taking pay cuts

00:25:33.340 in the private sector,

00:25:34.260 or so many people

00:25:34.840 who may have lost

00:25:36.180 their small business.

00:25:37.440 It should have been

00:25:38.100 a no-brainer

00:25:38.740 to at the very least

00:25:39.840 not raise the carbon tax.

00:25:41.280 But you know what?

00:25:42.200 I think that you have

00:25:43.600 the Trudeau government

00:25:44.480 patting themselves

00:25:45.400 on the back

00:25:46.280 every time they see

00:25:47.560 the high gas prices.

00:25:48.800 I think they're patting

00:25:49.740 themselves on the back

00:25:50.620 because let's not forget

00:25:51.620 the whole objective

00:25:53.140 of the Trudeau government

00:25:54.700 carbon tax

00:25:55.440 is to make it

00:25:56.360 so that you pay more

00:25:57.340 every time you fuel up

00:25:58.260 your car,

00:25:58.940 to make it that you pay more

00:26:00.300 every time you gotta

00:26:01.560 heat your home.

00:26:03.160 And also,

00:26:04.060 the second carbon tax

00:26:05.060 coming into place,

00:26:06.300 well,

00:26:06.500 we read the government's

00:26:07.480 own analysis

00:26:08.100 of that second carbon tax

00:26:09.740 and it makes it

00:26:10.480 very clear

00:26:11.360 just who is going

00:26:12.500 to feel the most pain

00:26:13.600 from the second carbon tax.

00:26:15.020 It's those

00:26:15.840 who are already

00:26:17.120 middle and low-income Canadians,

00:26:19.340 those already struggling

00:26:20.360 through energy poverty,

00:26:21.800 the single mothers,

00:26:22.780 the seniors

00:26:23.400 who are living

00:26:24.320 on fixed income

00:26:25.460 who are gonna be

00:26:26.020 hurt the most

00:26:27.040 from those rising gas prices.

00:26:28.880 And you know what?

00:26:29.800 Let's not let

00:26:30.960 these politicians

00:26:31.700 off the hook

00:26:32.300 for this inflation here

00:26:33.360 because we saw

00:26:34.540 crazy deficit spending

00:26:36.140 for years.

00:26:36.700 A huge amount

00:26:37.760 of money printing

00:26:38.440 and tax hikes

00:26:39.500 during the pandemic

00:26:40.420 which is making

00:26:41.260 these tough times tougher.

00:26:42.780 No, 100%.

00:26:43.540 And, Frank,

00:26:44.240 one last question.

00:26:45.640 Should the Supreme Court

00:26:47.260 decide to hear

00:26:48.460 Premier Smith's challenge,

00:26:50.640 I don't know

00:26:51.480 if you're a betting man

00:26:52.320 or not,

00:26:52.780 but what would you say

00:26:54.180 are the odds

00:26:55.000 of her scoring a victory

00:26:57.640 at the Supreme Court level

00:26:58.960 regarding these carbon taxes?

00:27:02.220 You know what?

00:27:02.720 I gotta leave that question

00:27:04.000 to the legal beagles.

00:27:05.820 Here's what I will say,

00:27:06.920 though,

00:27:07.080 is that Premier Smith

00:27:08.200 is right to stick up

00:27:09.400 for Albertans

00:27:09.900 against those money-hungry

00:27:10.980 politicians in Ottawa.

00:27:12.500 We are just pushing

00:27:13.740 Premier Smith

00:27:14.440 to also make sure

00:27:15.480 that she's protecting

00:27:16.220 the Albertans

00:27:16.800 from the money-hungry

00:27:17.860 politicians in Edmonton.

00:27:20.060 There you go.

00:27:20.880 Well, thank you so much

00:27:22.020 for your time, Franco.

00:27:23.100 Greatly appreciate it.

00:27:24.800 It's my pleasure.

00:27:25.500 Thanks for having me on.

00:27:26.440 All right.

00:27:26.780 You take care.

00:27:28.160 And, folks,

00:27:28.520 that was Franco Teresano,

00:27:30.140 the Federal Director

00:27:30.900 of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

00:27:33.760 Keep it here.

00:27:34.420 More of the Ezra Levent

00:27:35.580 show to come

00:27:36.240 right after this.

00:27:48.900 Well, folks,

00:27:49.740 lots of feedback

00:27:50.660 regarding my monologue

00:27:52.240 on the Halton District

00:27:53.980 School Board

00:27:54.920 for ever accommodating

00:27:56.960 that which is known

00:27:58.720 as Busty Lemieux.

00:28:01.700 Redwider writes,

00:28:03.280 Back in the day,

00:28:04.140 if this was our shop teacher,

00:28:06.180 we would have had this thing

00:28:07.760 running for the closet.

00:28:09.580 You know,

00:28:10.220 I don't advocate violence,

00:28:11.920 of course,

00:28:12.520 but if this is a fetish of his,

00:28:15.940 I think sometimes it's good

00:28:17.960 to at least remain

00:28:19.820 in the closet.

00:28:22.300 Warren1010 writes,

00:28:23.820 It would be funny

00:28:24.960 if you incorporated the audio

00:28:27.100 from Monty Python

00:28:28.240 and the Holy Grail

00:28:29.320 where they're yelling,

00:28:31.200 Run away

00:28:31.760 from the ferocious rabbit.

00:28:34.180 Well, that's the thing.

00:28:35.060 I don't think this guy

00:28:36.480 is a ferocious rabbit.

00:28:39.340 He might be

00:28:40.620 a sexual pervert.

00:28:42.580 There is a lot of evidence

00:28:44.040 emerging

00:28:44.700 that this is a fetish

00:28:47.380 of his,

00:28:48.100 that he is actually

00:28:49.720 getting aroused,

00:28:51.820 donning the haberdashery

00:28:54.040 of a drag queen.

00:28:54.960 And if that is true,

00:28:56.540 folks,

00:28:57.520 he should be nowhere near

00:28:59.320 impressionable minors.

00:29:02.120 Elkie Summer writes,

00:29:04.160 Well,

00:29:04.460 I also take off my wig

00:29:06.200 and relax my persona

00:29:07.480 when I get home.

00:29:09.000 I can see why many parents

00:29:10.500 are disgusted

00:29:11.480 by this beyond crazy trans,

00:29:14.300 but to invade

00:29:15.580 his apartment window,

00:29:17.080 isn't that being

00:29:18.160 a peeping Tom?

00:29:19.700 Well,

00:29:20.000 here's the thing.

00:29:20.720 He lives,

00:29:23.300 that is

00:29:23.800 Kerry Luke Lemieux,

00:29:25.400 a.k.a. Kayla Lemieux,

00:29:27.120 at a Burlington condo.

00:29:28.500 He's on the ground floor

00:29:29.700 and we were simply

00:29:31.460 reaching out to him.

00:29:32.800 His window is not,

00:29:34.340 you know,

00:29:34.740 a bathroom

00:29:35.440 or anything like that.

00:29:36.480 It is the living room.

00:29:37.860 And that's when we spotted him

00:29:39.300 without his wig,

00:29:40.220 without his short shorts,

00:29:41.360 and without his 36-pound breasts.

00:29:44.720 And a couple of things here,

00:29:47.020 folks.

00:29:47.680 I think one is,

00:29:49.000 if this is a genuine transition,

00:29:50.720 why isn't Mr. Lemieux

00:29:52.820 all in

00:29:53.580 by being a female

00:29:54.700 24-7?

00:29:56.060 He has the luxury

00:29:58.000 of taking off

00:29:59.160 those prosthetics

00:30:00.260 unlike a natural woman

00:30:01.920 who would have

00:30:02.780 Z-cup breasts,

00:30:04.100 which is forever

00:30:04.960 affixed to the body

00:30:05.960 unless one is going

00:30:06.820 to undergo

00:30:07.540 breast reduction surgery.

00:30:10.160 Secondly,

00:30:11.240 we were simply

00:30:12.360 trying to get

00:30:13.820 his side of the story.

00:30:15.720 And it meant

00:30:16.460 talking through

00:30:17.180 a glass window.

00:30:18.600 He wanted nothing

00:30:19.600 to do with that.

00:30:20.720 called the cops

00:30:21.900 and we left.

00:30:23.360 That is my defense.

00:30:25.240 No peeping Tom

00:30:26.560 incident here.

00:30:28.760 Jeez,

00:30:29.220 who would want

00:30:29.920 to peep into

00:30:30.900 the inner sanctum

00:30:32.700 of busty Lemieux?

00:30:34.800 Well, folks,

00:30:35.480 that wraps up

00:30:36.300 today's show

00:30:37.000 of the Ezra Levent Show.

00:30:38.820 Thank you so much

00:30:39.840 for accommodating me.

00:30:42.180 Sheila Gunn-Reed

00:30:42.900 will be guest hosting

00:30:43.920 tomorrow Friday.

00:30:44.980 Then the big boss man,

00:30:46.320 he's back on Monday.

00:30:48.060 Thank you so much.

00:30:48.960 And as always,

00:30:50.800 stay sane.

00:30:52.100 Hey everyone,

00:30:52.640 William Diaz here

00:30:53.460 with Rebel News

00:30:54.560 and today I'll walk

00:30:55.500 you through

00:30:56.020 the extremely

00:30:57.100 interesting testimony

00:30:58.120 we heard from

00:30:58.960 Rob Stewart

00:30:59.860 and Dominique Rochon

00:31:01.200 on 22nd day

00:31:02.460 of the Emergency

00:31:03.200 Act Inquiry

00:31:04.020 on November 14th.

00:31:05.200 Before we begin,

00:31:06.180 let's remember

00:31:06.820 that the inquiry

00:31:07.900 is taking place

00:31:08.540 because Justin Trudeau

00:31:09.340 invoked a never-seen-before

00:31:11.320 anti-terrorism law

00:31:12.280 and peaceful protesters

00:31:13.260 who gathered in Ottawa

00:31:14.820 from all across the country

00:31:15.820 to protest his own

00:31:17.200 COVID-19 mandate

00:31:18.060 during Freedom Convoy 2022.

00:31:20.300 You can see and support

00:31:21.180 our independent coverage

00:31:22.260 of this inquiry

00:31:23.400 taking place here

00:31:24.220 once again in Ottawa

00:31:25.040 at truckercommission.com.

00:31:27.840 The witnesses who appeared

00:31:28.860 in front of the commission

00:31:29.700 were Rob Stewart,

00:31:30.980 Deputy Minister of Public Safety,

00:31:32.500 at the federal level

00:31:33.900 and one of his colleagues,

00:31:35.360 Dominique Rochon,

00:31:36.600 Senior Assistant Deputy Minister

00:31:38.400 from the National

00:31:39.620 and Cyber Security Branch

00:31:41.200 with Public Safety Canada.

00:31:43.340 Now, Rob Stewart

00:31:44.120 was working closely

00:31:45.280 with the Liberal Cabinet

00:31:46.580 and Marco Mendicino

00:31:47.780 during the Freedom Convoy.

00:31:49.800 Rob Stewart,

00:31:50.460 his name appeared often

00:31:52.280 since the beginning

00:31:53.080 of the inquiry,

00:31:54.180 but we finally had a chance

00:31:55.680 to hear what he had to say

00:31:57.500 in front of the commission.

00:31:59.140 Before we began,

00:31:59.840 Rob Stewart was the one

00:32:00.940 who informed Marcel Baudin

00:32:02.280 the head of police liaison

00:32:03.920 with the Ontario Provincial Police,

00:32:05.440 the OPP,

00:32:06.260 on February 13,

00:32:07.680 that the government

00:32:08.380 would not meet

00:32:09.360 with the protesters

00:32:10.160 even though Baudin

00:32:11.520 strongly suggested

00:32:12.560 that they do so.

00:32:13.960 Baudin was the one

00:32:14.780 who concocted a plan

00:32:16.260 suggesting that

00:32:17.000 the Liberal Cabinet

00:32:18.140 meet with the protesters

00:32:20.400 part of the Freedom Convoy

00:32:22.040 and that plan

00:32:23.020 was presented to them,

00:32:24.660 to the Cabinet,

00:32:25.340 the day prior to the invocation

00:32:26.660 of the Emergencies Act.

00:32:28.080 Then, remember this?

00:32:29.480 Did you know

00:32:30.040 that that meeting

00:32:31.040 was at 3.30 p.m.

00:32:33.200 and that it was

00:32:34.500 with Cabinet

00:32:35.220 and it was

00:32:35.740 the Incident Response Group

00:32:37.160 of the political executive meeting

00:32:40.300 and that your proposal

00:32:41.640 was provided to them?

00:32:43.560 No.

00:32:44.320 Okay.

00:32:44.880 It was.

00:32:45.820 I can tell you that.

00:32:47.520 And then they invoked

00:32:48.580 the Emergencies Act.

00:32:52.240 Thank you.

00:32:52.900 Now, Stuart and Rochon

00:32:56.920 were grilled

00:32:57.620 by Freedom Convoy lawyer

00:32:58.740 Brendan Miller

00:32:59.460 when undergoing cross-examination.

00:33:01.700 Take a look

00:33:02.240 at how this went.

00:33:03.900 That at no point

00:33:04.900 of the service,

00:33:05.600 being CSIS,

00:33:06.460 assessed the protests

00:33:07.480 in Ottawa

00:33:07.900 or elsewhere,

00:33:09.160 those referred to

00:33:09.840 as the Freedom Convoy

00:33:10.820 and related protests

00:33:11.800 and blockades

00:33:12.440 in January and February 2022,

00:33:14.860 constituted a threat

00:33:15.800 to the security of Canada

00:33:16.980 as defined in Section 2

00:33:18.120 of the CSIS Act,

00:33:19.340 and that CSIS

00:33:19.960 cannot investigate

00:33:20.860 activities constituting

00:33:22.220 lawful protests.

00:33:23.800 CSIS assessed

00:33:24.720 there was no indication

00:33:26.180 of foreign state interference

00:33:27.700 occurring in the course

00:33:28.980 of the protest.

00:33:30.360 CSIS did not assess

00:33:31.480 that any foreign state

00:33:33.260 supported the protest

00:33:34.640 through funding,

00:33:35.780 that foreign states

00:33:36.820 deployed covert

00:33:38.180 or overt disinformation techniques,

00:33:40.400 or that any foreign state actors

00:33:42.220 attempted to enter

00:33:43.120 into Canada

00:33:43.880 to support the protest.

00:33:45.700 There,

00:33:46.060 Director Venu states

00:33:47.300 that he learned

00:33:48.600 that the EA reference,

00:33:50.460 the threat definition

00:33:51.480 set out in Section 2

00:33:52.760 of the CSIS Act

00:33:54.240 once the federal government

00:33:55.760 began to seriously consider

00:33:57.340 invoking the EA

00:33:58.640 between February 10th

00:33:59.980 and 13th.

00:34:01.060 He requested

00:34:01.640 that the service

00:34:02.340 prepare a threat assessment

00:34:03.720 on the risks associated

00:34:05.140 with the invocation

00:34:06.000 of the EA.

00:34:07.140 He felt an obligation

00:34:08.300 to clearly convey

00:34:09.220 the service's position

00:34:10.360 that there did not exist

00:34:11.980 a threat

00:34:12.500 to the security of Canada

00:34:14.100 as defined

00:34:14.980 by the service's

00:34:15.840 legal mandate.

00:34:17.180 The threat assessment

00:34:18.000 prepared by the service

00:34:19.400 was that the invocation

00:34:20.760 of the emergencies legislation

00:34:22.640 risked further inflaming

00:34:24.960 IMV rhetoric

00:34:26.080 and individuals holding

00:34:27.680 accelerationist

00:34:28.760 or anti-government views.

00:34:30.360 You were told that,

00:34:31.220 is that correct?

00:34:32.080 That is correct.

00:34:32.840 This correct examination

00:34:33.680 by Miller

00:34:34.400 shows that Stuart,

00:34:35.540 Rushall,

00:34:35.940 and their teams

00:34:36.700 completely disregarded

00:34:38.100 crucial CSIS intel

00:34:39.520 in order to invoke

00:34:40.240 the Emergencies Act.

00:34:41.380 CSIS's opinion

00:34:42.180 was that invoking the act

00:34:43.680 would radicalize protesters,

00:34:45.680 and they didn't indicate

00:34:46.980 it was crucial to do so.

00:34:48.920 Stuart was unable

00:34:49.740 to point to reasonable authority

00:34:51.240 that stated that

00:34:51.940 the threshold

00:34:52.700 under Section 2

00:34:53.860 of the CSIS Act

00:34:54.620 was met.

00:34:55.920 Here's the moment

00:34:56.640 from Miller's

00:34:57.420 cross-examination

00:34:58.460 of the panel

00:34:59.080 of two witnesses

00:34:59.840 that completes

00:35:01.020 this assessment.

00:35:02.720 Okay,

00:35:03.480 so what intelligence

00:35:05.560 bureau or agency

00:35:08.660 or law enforcement agency

00:35:10.620 told the government,

00:35:12.800 here's the evidence

00:35:14.500 of reasonable

00:35:15.740 and probable grounds

00:35:16.980 or reasonable grounds

00:35:18.820 of a Section 2

00:35:20.680 CSIS Act threat?

00:35:22.940 And you know

00:35:23.520 I take it now

00:35:24.380 because it's advised

00:35:25.200 to you that

00:35:25.840 that's required

00:35:27.340 to invoke

00:35:28.020 the Emergencies Act.

00:35:29.200 It's in the documents.

00:35:30.260 You were advised

00:35:30.820 of that.

00:35:31.520 Yes.

00:35:32.020 Right.

00:35:32.400 So what agency

00:35:34.100 gave you

00:35:35.140 the evidence

00:35:36.840 and the intelligence

00:35:37.900 that said,

00:35:39.880 hey,

00:35:40.180 we have reasonable

00:35:41.200 grounds of a Section 2

00:35:42.280 CSIS Act threat.

00:35:43.560 There wasn't one,

00:35:44.320 was there?

00:35:48.560 So let me explain.

00:35:52.380 Nobody bringing advice

00:35:54.600 to the table

00:35:55.040 other than CSIS

00:35:56.320 is assessing

00:35:58.080 against that threat.

00:36:00.860 Nobody advising

00:36:01.580 the cabinet.

00:36:02.400 The cabinet

00:36:02.860 is making that decision

00:36:04.000 and their interpretation

00:36:05.340 of the law

00:36:06.300 is what governs here

00:36:08.160 and the advice

00:36:09.200 they get

00:36:09.620 and their decision

00:36:11.680 was evidently

00:36:13.720 that the threshold

00:36:14.560 was met.

00:36:15.240 Later,

00:36:15.640 the Council for the

00:36:16.380 Justice Centre

00:36:16.880 for Constitutional Freedom,

00:36:18.000 the GCCF,

00:36:18.780 got his chance

00:36:19.640 to cross-examine

00:36:20.520 Stewart and Rochon

00:36:22.140 and it was very revealing

00:36:23.720 and relevant as well.

00:36:25.200 Take a look.

00:36:25.760 Numerous witnesses

00:36:27.580 from the OPP

00:36:28.480 and the OPS

00:36:29.500 have testified

00:36:30.180 that the invocation

00:36:31.100 of the Act

00:36:31.720 may have been helpful

00:36:33.080 but it was not necessary

00:36:34.260 to clear the protests.

00:36:35.460 Would you agree

00:36:35.860 with them on that point?

00:36:39.220 I believe that

00:36:40.180 the invocation

00:36:40.880 of the Act

00:36:41.340 provided very useful tools

00:36:42.680 to law enforcement.

00:36:43.860 Useful tools

00:36:44.460 but not necessary tools.

00:36:46.800 Well,

00:36:48.080 I'm not in a position

00:36:50.200 to render an opinion

00:36:50.940 on that.

00:36:51.540 I don't think...

00:36:52.080 I would only observe

00:36:53.300 as I've observed already

00:36:54.300 that upon the invocation

00:36:56.280 of the Act

00:36:56.740 and the use of those tools

00:36:57.780 the protests

00:36:58.520 diminished

00:36:59.420 and stopped

00:37:00.620 and that goes beyond useful.

00:37:03.920 Now,

00:37:04.240 the Liberal Research Bureau

00:37:05.260 is an interesting

00:37:05.920 taxpayer-funded entity

00:37:07.300 and we'll talk more

00:37:08.480 about it another time

00:37:09.560 but here it shows

00:37:11.700 that prior to the

00:37:12.380 Immunities Act

00:37:12.780 being voted on,

00:37:13.960 the New Democrats

00:37:14.680 were already going

00:37:15.580 to vote in favour of it.

00:37:17.180 However,

00:37:17.760 Stewart claimed

00:37:18.660 that he only learned

00:37:20.080 about the NDP's support

00:37:21.580 of the Act

00:37:22.220 quote-unquote

00:37:23.340 upon the vote.

00:37:25.620 Finally,

00:37:26.260 another noteworthy moment

00:37:27.760 from his testimony

00:37:28.980 was when

00:37:29.540 Stewart explained

00:37:30.740 that the Emergencies Act

00:37:32.380 is only a tool

00:37:33.660 of last resort

00:37:34.720 and that there were

00:37:35.460 quote-unquote

00:37:36.060 many other tools as well.

00:37:38.300 But specifically

00:37:39.080 with respect

00:37:39.680 to the Emergencies Act,

00:37:40.940 would you,

00:37:41.940 you know,

00:37:42.180 based on your understanding

00:37:43.160 of the discussions

00:37:43.800 that took place

00:37:44.480 around that,

00:37:46.040 in your view

00:37:46.620 would the Emergencies Act

00:37:47.660 have been an appropriate tool

00:37:48.860 to deal with the situation

00:37:50.040 in Ottawa

00:37:50.560 had it not been

00:37:51.480 for those other events?

00:37:53.880 The Emergencies Act

00:37:55.080 is generally considered

00:37:56.280 to be a tool

00:37:57.000 of last resort

00:37:57.800 under very exigent circumstances,

00:38:01.640 urgent,

00:38:02.080 time-limited.

00:38:03.220 So,

00:38:03.960 there were many other tools

00:38:06.100 in the toolkit.

00:38:06.880 Indeed,

00:38:07.380 Ontario used one

00:38:08.300 and,

00:38:09.320 you know,

00:38:09.640 it was not used

00:38:10.900 until quite a bit

00:38:11.860 later in time.

00:38:12.500 So,

00:38:12.740 I would say,

00:38:13.880 you know,

00:38:14.080 we were all conscious

00:38:15.400 of it as being a tool

00:38:16.620 but in the minds

00:38:18.800 of those

00:38:19.260 who were,

00:38:19.820 you know,

00:38:20.280 sort of

00:38:20.800 discussing it

00:38:23.360 with counterparts,

00:38:24.460 there were other tools

00:38:25.140 as well.

00:38:25.820 My colleague,

00:38:26.540 Celine Gallus,

00:38:27.360 also asked a question

00:38:28.700 to Stuart.

00:38:29.700 Check it out,

00:38:30.260 right after his testimony.

00:38:31.420 Mr. Stuart,

00:38:32.080 you admitted

00:38:32.560 that the Emergencies Act

00:38:33.600 was the wrong decision.

00:38:34.740 In hindsight,

00:38:35.380 what would have been

00:38:36.220 the right decision?

00:38:40.840 Well,

00:38:41.320 there you have it,

00:38:41.960 folks.

00:38:42.300 Here's everything

00:38:43.040 that you need to know

00:38:43.720 about what went on

00:38:44.800 during this extremely

00:38:46.020 interesting

00:38:46.840 and very revealing day.

00:38:48.480 Make sure to stay tuned

00:38:49.380 because,

00:38:49.920 well,

00:38:50.460 I'm telling you,

00:38:51.020 the remaining testimonies

00:38:52.120 will be as interesting

00:38:53.280 as this one

00:38:53.900 and we'll make sure

00:38:55.300 to bring you

00:38:55.720 the best coverage

00:38:56.720 that we can.

00:38:58.040 For Rebel News,

00:38:58.900 this is Will MDS.

00:38:59.560 does.

Rebel News Podcast - November 17, 2022

DAVID MENZIES ｜ Everyone loses out if there are no second chances

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