Yankee Pollack is facing 15 charges and tickets for reporting on the Canadian government's brutal curfews during the protests in the streets of Quebec City on the night of January 8th, 2019. This is the latest in a growing list of cases against journalists who dared to report on the events of the day.
00:01:14.0402022 was the year of the lockdown and the year of martial law, but it was also the year that Canadians fought back.
00:01:31.000God bless the truckers and their courage who helped set us free.
00:01:34.540Over Christmas, I told you that I predict 2023 will be the year of censorship, in part because it was social media, not the mainstream corporate media, that finally spoke truth to power and helped free us from the lockdowns.
00:01:48.340It was social media, citizen journalists, who told the true story about the truckers, not Trudeau's official smears.
00:01:54.540And remember when Trudeau invoked martial law and deployed police on riot horses and started seizing bank accounts of his political opponents, the mainstream corporate media called for him to go harder and made up the most insane propaganda for him, like this bizarre claim.
00:02:11.760I do ask that because, you know, given Canada's support of Ukraine in this current crisis with Russia, I don't know if it's far-fetched to ask, but there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows, but perhaps even instigating it from the outset.
00:02:33.020By the way, that weird government journalist wasn't fired.
00:02:36.740If you can believe it, she actually got a promotion.
00:02:49.700They're coming for Dr. Jordan Peterson now.
00:02:51.920They're threatening to take away his psychology license.
00:02:55.360Not for anything he's done to patients, but because some people don't like his political comments or his tweets.
00:03:02.240I don't know if they'll succeed, but the point is, they're showing they can silence anyone, even Canada's best-selling author and most prominent public intellectual.
00:03:10.780If they can go after Jordan Peterson, they can surely go after you.
00:03:15.860I don't know if they'll beat Jordan Peterson.
00:03:19.020Even psychologists are allowed to have political opinions, but the censors are changing the rules in other ways so that they rig the game in advance so that freedom of speech faces an uphill battle in the future.
00:03:30.100I don't know if you saw my video that I published over Christmas where I showed you an obscure section of Bill C-11, Trudeau's Online Streaming Act, as it's called, that's making its way through Parliament right now.
00:03:49.440It will give Trudeau the power to order Internet companies like YouTube, Google, Instagram, Facebook, to either boost or hide whatever news sources Trudeau likes.
00:03:59.820And so here's the exact wording of the law.
00:04:02.800Trudeau can, quote, make orders respecting the presentation of programs and programming services for selection by the public, including the showcasing and the discoverability of Canadian programs and programming services.
00:04:17.440By the way, the Internet companies already do this to an extent.
00:04:20.680YouTube shadow bans conservative sites and they demonetized our channel years ago.
00:04:26.360But if Trudeau gets his way, YouTube will be ordered by the Canadian government to promote every corporate mainstream media channel over ours to push our site down in the rankings so you can't even find us.
00:04:39.200I mean, when you do a Google search or a YouTube search, how often do you click past the first page or two of results?
00:04:45.760Have you ever clicked past, say, the first 10 pages of results?
00:05:11.280It's still first couple weeks of January and they're going after Jordan Peterson already.
00:05:15.760But let me tell you what happened today in a courtroom in Montreal and will continue for several more days.
00:05:22.260Our friend, our journalist, Yankee Pollack, is on trial in Quebec right now for reporting on their lockdowns and especially on their curfew.
00:05:30.500It's hard to even believe, but for months, Quebecers were literally banned from leaving their homes.
00:05:38.220Whether you were sick or healthy, whether you were vaccinated or unvaccinated, everyone was sentenced to a form of house arrest.
00:05:46.380For a while there, they even banned people from leaving their homes to walk their dogs, which if you have a dog, you know is code for letting the dog go outside to go to the bathroom.
00:05:54.800Imagine if in the name of public health, you ordered people to have their dogs do their business in your house.
00:06:13.860You know, we hired Yankee a few years ago to help us with our social media, not to be an on-camera reporter.
00:06:19.900He just happened to be based in Montreal.
00:06:22.580So when he was done his real job with us, he would go out at night, take his cell phone and just step outside his house and document what the curfew was doing to people in Montreal.
00:10:17.520We also had our lawyers write to the police chief in Montreal in advance, letting him know what we were up to so that the police would not be surprised that we were actually going to be doing journalism.
00:10:29.700And we let them, we wrote several times.
00:10:40.420The rules didn't require you to literally write to the police chief telling him who you were sending to report in the streets and asking them to respect your rights.
00:10:49.320We did that just out of an abundance of caution.
00:10:52.860Like I say, 100% legal, 100% by the book, 100% in compliance with the police instructions to us.
00:10:59.680And yet, not only did the cops on the street harass and detain Yankee and call him Jew media, but they charged him and ticketed him 15 times with $15,000 in punishments on the line.
00:11:12.600It's outrageous, but maybe that's just the police, right?
00:13:41.920But that's not what's happening to Yankee.
00:13:44.860Those are just the outward appearances of what they're doing to him.
00:13:49.340What they're really doing to him is censoring him.
00:13:51.300They're punishing him for being the one journalist in Montreal who went out at night to document the bullying of his fellow citizens night after night.
00:14:02.060They want to punish Yankee by putting him on these show trials.
00:14:06.040Fifteen charges spread out over days and days.
00:14:39.700P.S., if you want to see Yankee's updates from court and our reporter Alexa Lavoie's coverage of this story, you can go to LockdownReports.com.
00:14:49.200Yankee's got a video of his own up there.
00:14:50.920And if you want to chip in to help us pay for Yankee's lawyers, you can do that online, too.
00:15:09.720Well, this weekend was the third anniversary of an atrocity, a massacre.
00:15:15.380Iran's IRGC, that is a terrorist group formerly known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, shot down a civilian airliner from Ukraine, killing all those aboard.
00:15:31.500And, of course, the repercussions against Iran have been slim to none.
00:15:36.400In fact, had that been another country, there would have been massive sanctions, and the IRGC would have been declared a terrorist entity and had sanctions put against it.
00:15:47.580But, alas, with Iran, that is not the case.
00:15:49.820But there are freedom fighters, especially in the larger centers of North America, where there are many Persians, such as Los Angeles, Vancouver, and here in Toronto, that have not forgotten the atrocity of three years ago.
00:16:02.560And one of those freedom fighters is our friend Salman Sima, who is a freedom fighter who was at this protest and has been at many others.
00:16:11.780He himself has been tortured by the IRGC.
00:16:16.040They broke his ribs and knocked out a tooth and broke his legs.
00:16:20.100But that has only made him more resolved.
00:16:21.940Joining us now via Skype is Salman Sima.
00:18:00.620And President Donald Trump removed Qasem Soleimani, number one terrorist on the earth.
00:18:09.540So, thank you, Trump, for killing Qasem Soleimani.
00:18:14.320And so, after that, Qasem Soleimani was the second man of the country after the leader.
00:18:22.200And he was involved in lots of crime in Syria, in Yemen.
00:18:26.740And he has killed many Iranians as well.
00:18:29.980And he was responsible for the death of many American soldiers in Iraq.
00:18:36.740So, after that, the Islamic regime started to threaten U.S. interests.
00:18:45.060And President Trump said that if you're going to attack the U.S. interests in the region, you're going to pay a huge cost.
00:18:52.500And there were some tension between Iran and U.S. at that time.
00:19:00.340And they think that they can shoot onto the airplane and blame it on President Trump.
00:19:08.860But the fact comes out that this attack was intentional.
00:19:14.800It was a missile which was shoot by IRGC.
00:19:18.680And just if they couldn't do anything against the U.S. and they couldn't blame it on the U.S., it was because U.S. satellites show that there's a fact that IRGC shoot those missiles.
00:20:45.560I am joined today by many colleagues who many of you have gotten to know well over the past three years.
00:20:53.020My friend and yours, High Commissioner Ralph Goodale, Ministers Jolie, Al-Khabra, Ian, and others.
00:21:03.720Many members of the caucus are here as well.
00:21:06.740I want to make special mention of Ali Asassi, who is a strong voice in Parliament for the Iranian Canadian community and whose riding we are currently in.
00:21:15.980And Majid Johari, who is also a strong advocate for the community.
00:21:27.520We are all working together at this federal level to hold the Iranian regime accountable.
00:21:34.720Well, Salman, you can hear the difference between Ali Asassi being generally welcomed and the booing when Justin Trudeau, who was at the rally, I give him credit for attending the rally.
00:21:46.480But other than speaking in his hushed tones, which he does when he's being very, very serious, has Justin Trudeau done anything within his power?
00:21:55.780For example, declaring the IRGC a terrorist entity?
00:21:59.600I don't think he has put it on the list of, you know, the public safety ministry has a list of terrorist entities.
00:23:28.560And what was the answer of Justin Trudeau?
00:23:31.340Just playing with the word and refusing to say yes or no.
00:23:35.440And now just they are playing game with the community and each two weeks, each week, they sanction two, three individuals who were involved in human rights violation in Iran, which is good, but it's not the really biggest step.
00:23:56.680And it's so funny that Justin Trudeau can go after $20 that a single mom, a hardworking Canadian, can donate it to the trucker, but they cannot stop the huge money laundering by the IRGC in Canada and especially in Toronto.
00:24:17.700I just want to play a short clip of Pierre Paulyver going back and forth with Justin Trudeau over whether or not the IRGC is a terrorist group.
00:24:32.760The prime minister has as his primary job to protect our citizens.
00:24:39.100Fifty-five of them were murdered by this terrorist group, which shot their plane out of the sky, a civilian aircraft.
00:24:48.580Does the prime minister believe that the group that fired that missile and killed our people is a terrorist group, yes or no?
00:25:00.500Mr. Speaker, we have recognized that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism.
00:25:13.660We have seen listed the IRGC cuts force.
00:25:17.580We have just recently moved forward with strengthened sanctions against IRGC leadership to ensure that they cannot find safe haven in Canada.
00:25:26.040But I will also say, having sat with families of the PS752 victims, it was not just 55 Canadian citizens.
00:25:33.240There was close to 150 or more people on their way to Canada, permanent residents, students, who we also grieve for every single day and who we stand with as we hold this Iranian government to account.
00:25:44.960And we'll continue to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
00:25:48.880Well, that's, you know what, that clip we played of Trudeau sounding very concerned, as he always does.
00:25:57.760I mean, you know when he starts talking like that, that he's fibbing.
00:26:01.600And the fact that five years later he hasn't declared them a terrorist group is telling.
00:26:06.300Now, there was another Persian-Canadian MP from the Liberal Party there who got applause.
00:28:52.120The Magnitsky sanctions targeted human rights violators in all over the world, and it passed anonymously in Canadian Parliament by James Bezan in October 2017.
00:29:05.680It's incredible that they're willing to talk a good game at these rallies.
00:29:11.080But when you press them on when they will actually put sanctions or declare groups terrorists, they won't have an answer.
00:29:17.460In fact, he lost his temper pretty quick and flipped out on you.
00:29:20.560Well, listen, Salman, it's great to see you again.
00:29:22.640Of course, we follow you closely on Twitter.
00:29:24.340You were a stalwart and a regular at the freedom marches in the Toronto area during the lockdowns.
00:29:30.060It's no surprise to me you fight for freedom in Canada, and you fight for freedom back in your home country, your original country of Iran.
00:31:45.020I don't believe in countries invading each other.
00:31:48.060I think that's a failure of diplomacy.
00:31:49.740And obviously it's violent and it violates the territorial integrity of other countries.
00:31:53.760And I also know that Vladimir Putin is an authoritarian ruler, a former KGB agent.
00:31:59.820As you noted, Russia is run by oligarchs, as is Ukraine.
00:32:07.220But that said, I do not believe that Russia should have invaded.
00:32:10.580And I don't know my history in that part of the world that well.
00:32:13.020But I think that Russia, I'm trying to remember the date, I think would be in the 1990s, ceded those territories in the Donbass and the eastern part of Ukraine to Ukraine.
00:32:24.640So to invade, to take back what they granted in a treaty, I think is unprincipled, let alone violent and violating of territorial integrity.
00:32:35.780That said, I believe that the president of Ukraine is not only corrupt like Russian leaders are corrupt, but I think that he has shown a shocking illiberalism.
00:32:52.200He has banned opposition political parties, banned opposition media, and has even brought censorship and regulation to churches in Ukraine that don't share his views.
00:33:06.620The one thing I would disagree with you on is I don't think that Canada has been as extreme in its financial funding of Ukraine as the United States has.
00:34:14.420I think there should be a diplomatic solution.
00:34:15.800And frankly, Henry Kissinger and other senior diplomats say this must end diplomatically.
00:34:22.060It would be dangerous to have an escalation of war against a country that still has a large nuclear arsenal.
00:34:29.440I mean, Russia's conventional military forces may be beatable by Western military equipment, although there's a lot of Ukrainians dying in the battlefield.
00:34:36.660But I don't think you want to corner Russia.
00:34:41.280They still have nukes and they occasionally talk about using them.
00:34:44.860I think it's a very dangerous situation that should have a diplomatic ending.
00:34:48.860I don't always agree with Henry Kissinger, but I'm with him on this one.
00:35:26.360Karina Bloom says, I am so glad to have a humble premier to replace Kenny, who once was just like Danielle Smith at one time.
00:35:33.560I agree with her agenda of self-reliance, like the Quebec premier, and wish more would follow in listening to their people's concerns to keep independent from federal influences instead of the people who know what they want from their government and not the other way around.
00:35:48.040Out influences are not needed to lead province's economy.
00:35:53.100Thanks for asking the right questions.
00:35:54.600For people to know this premier's agenda and platform is for we, the people, first and foremost, to invoke unity.
00:36:00.380Got to tell you, I don't understand everything you put in your letter, but you sound positive about my interview with Danielle Smith.
00:36:07.920And although you do note that Jason Kenney had some similar sounds.
00:36:11.680You know, Danielle Smith's motto, it's on her staff's business card, is Alberta first.
00:36:16.120And I see that as sort of the nameplate on her podium.
00:36:19.120And I don't think Jason Kenney ever used that phraseology.
00:36:23.940And I think it's telling because Jason Kenney, I believe, always had an eye on the main chance, which is going back to Ottawa as the future leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in his mind.
00:36:33.260And so he didn't want to say anything that could be interpreted as small or provincial or too pro-Alberta or too niche.
00:36:40.600I think he was always thinking, well, how will this sound when I run for Parliament as the leader of the Conservatives in five or ten years?
00:36:47.020So he was always pulling his punches and he would never go to bat for Alberta against Ottawa, which is essential if you're the premier of Alberta.
00:36:54.820If you're the premier of, I don't know, Prince Edward Island, you depend on freebies from Ottawa.
00:37:00.420It's a major source of revenue for you.
00:37:02.080So you never really fight with Ottawa and you're too small anyways.
00:37:06.240If you're the premier of Ontario, you're so big, you sort of are the federal government.
00:37:10.180You've got more than 100 seats in Parliament.
00:37:12.840But if you're the premier of Alberta, sort of like the premier of Quebec, you must be at war with the prime minister of Canada to properly defend your province's interests.