EZRA LEVANT ｜ I Found Canada's Worst Cop (He's Awful!)
Episode Stats
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Summary
This week on The Ezra Levant's show, host Ezra Levant sits down with a man who has a list of the worst cops in Canada, and makes his case for why he should be voted "Canada's Worst Cop." Ezra and the man debate whether or not the list is correct.
Transcript
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Hello, my Rebels. Today, I introduced you a man, I put it to you, is Canada's worst cop.
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That's a long list. I'll make my case, and I'll talk to the nominee, get his side of the story.
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That's all I had. Before I let you get to that, let me invite you to become a subscriber to Rebel
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News Plus. That's our premium video service. You get the video version of this podcast, plus shows
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by Sheila Gunn-Reed, David Menzies, and Andrew Chapados. That's all eight bucks a month. Pretty
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good deal. Just go to rebelnews.com and click subscribe. Here's today's show.
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Tonight, I think I might have found Canada's worst cop. It's June 14th, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.
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Do you know who police are when they're at their best? They're selfless servants who help us and
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who sometimes pay the ultimate price for it. They're the kind of people who run towards danger
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when the rest of us are running away. On 9-11, for example, hundreds of firefighters
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died in the Twin Towers, but so did 60 cops running into the towers to help save lives.
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When you're in trouble late at night, you don't call a social worker or a political pundit. They
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don't even answer the phones. Who's on guard 24 hours a day? Who responds in minutes? The police.
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I say all this because police can be the best among us. To serve and protect is a common police force
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motto. Maintien le droit is the motto of the RCMP. That's French for uphold the right. It could also
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be interpreted as uphold the law. Those are the best people, and we take them for granted 99% of the
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time when we don't need them. Most criticism of police, I think, is fake. It's political posturing
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in the U.S., but also now in Canada. There's a defund the police movement. Yeah, how's that working
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out for you? I notice that the defund the police politicians sure aren't shy about calling for the
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police to protect them personally. So that's cops, and I say all this because I have to remind myself
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about all this. I have to keep thinking about those cops rushing into the burning Twin Towers,
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the police saving lives, because I have to keep that memory alive in my mind so that I'm not poisoned
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by the hundreds, literally hundreds of examples of abusive, illegal, unconstitutional policing
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that I have seen in the past 15 months of the pandemic. I mean, just our own reporters here in Canada.
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I'm not in a crowd. I'm not in a crowd of 20, though. My colleague is detained. I have to stay.
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Let's go. I'm on public property. No, man. Put your mask on. I'm not in a group of 20, though.
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Hey, do I sit down the wire? Hey. I'm not in a group of...
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Are you holding to me? Are you hiding your name?
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Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Keep your distance. Hey, hey.
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Here are the bugs. Here are the bugs. Here are the bugs. Here come the bugs.
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take a piece of I ask you to go to the sidewalk
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And the police obsession with our Australian reporter, Abiyamini.
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This guy here is not here for any purposes or reasons.
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But this guy here is going to be placed under arrest right now.
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Or recording devices, because you don't want to be recorded.
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Look, I don't want to go, so they're going to have to physically take me.
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It's in relation to the protest tomorrow, mate.
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It's in relation to the protest tomorrow, mate.
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Yeah, so what's the letter you're sending me from the Commissioner?
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Mate, we've got several letters to deliver, so we're going to be off.
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Here's a case we're helping in our fight the fines battle.
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I can't show you any more of that because I get disturbed for days watching that video.
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I mean, why is a police SWAT team taking down a Christian pastor in the middle of a busy
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highway, making him kneel down on the street while cars whiz by in the rain?
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Why did they arrest and jail this pastor in front of his children?
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Why did they arrest and jail this pastor for 35 days?
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Why did this out-of-control cop scream at and swear at and threaten to taser a kid for being
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It was actually an official city ice rink officially open.
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Ocean, get on the f***ing ground before you taser.
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Why are you guys getting on the f***ing ground?
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Why did police literally barge into a church in Ontario?
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I'm a court enforcement officer, commonly known as a sheriff.
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I have a valid court order here today requiring the sheriff, that's me, and the assistance
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of the police to vacate everyone from the building, and we will be locking the building.
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Why did police fine a man for sitting in his car alone drinking coffee?
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I am so disgusted by the gross misconduct of so many police these days that I have to
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work hard to remind myself that police aren't just Gestapo-like bullies.
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I have to remind myself of the great police too.
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I have no time for police who engage in thuggery.
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This was because a barbecue restaurant was still selling sandwiches.
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There were children at that restaurant when the riot police charged on their horses.
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Brian Pallister, the Premier of Manitoba, tells a Canadian citizen, Maxime Bernier,
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who happens to be the leader of a political party, not to set foot in his province.
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Right now, you're under arrest under the provincial health orders.
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Okay, so if you could just put your hands behind your back, face towards the vehicle.
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Do you have any weapons or anything on you, sir?
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Anything on you that's going to hurt me or anything like that?
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Anything on you that's going to hurt me or anything like that?
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A Premier of Provence can have his enemies arrested, handcuffed, jailed.
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So you can see why I have to keep reciting my mantra.
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Our reporters were covering an anti-lockdown protest in Toronto, and someone threw projectiles
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The police were right there, but they couldn't be bothered to do anything.
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They literally told us, go to the police station and fill it out, some paperwork.
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So yeah, just close your eyes and think of a time when police were the good guys.
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I should probably start an award for best cop of the year
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I need to hear more good news about police like that.
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Because I have to tell you, I think I might have found the worst cop in Canada.
00:14:24.960
That dishonor probably goes to the Toronto police.
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Not the most corrupt cop that dishonor goes to the Montreal police.
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who literally gave a ticket to our head of video,
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Efron Monsanto, for the crime of shaking someone's hands.
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I have you here in violation of the reopening of Ontario Act,
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gathering with a crowd of more than five people.
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So that's a pre-written ticket again, just for the record?
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I had the ticket made up inside when I saw you out here.
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So what were they doing exactly when I was talking to one of the protesters here?
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I saw you walking around, getting within three meters.
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So if I just talk to someone, that's within two meters?
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You know, they're not for me, but I don't really care.
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I like making conversation with people, asking what their tattoos are all about.
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But I really think that handshaking cop has a My Little Pony tattoo on his arm.
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I think that's a unicorn or something, but I think it's actually a My Little Pony tattoo.
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It sounds about right for a cop handing out a ticket for handshaking.
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But Michael Giesbrecht is not the worst cop in Canada.
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In fact, I'm not even sure if he counts as a cop.
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I hereby nominate Staff Sergeant Dan McLean of the Peterborough Police as the worst cop in Canada.
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And if you think I'm wrong, I challenge you to tell me a worse one.
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So our friend, our great reporter, David Menzies, great journalist.
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In fact, he's the winner of the Rebbe Award for pandemic journalism.
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Even from the very early days when we didn't know much about the virus, he would go to the airport and report on all the planes landing from China.
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And as you can see, David would sometimes wear a mask where appropriate.
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But of course, it doesn't make sense to wear a mask when you're outside.
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And when you're a reporter, reporters have to speak into a microphone or speak to other people.
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I also know this because Justin Trudeau has showed me that.
00:17:10.480
I mean, here's Trudeau just over the weekend at the G7 meeting, no mask, right next to a bunch of other strangers without masks.
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So David was covering a news event in Peterborough in April where various people, including Randy Hillier and Maxime Bernier, were protesting the lockdowns.
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And by the way, covering the news is considered an essential service.
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But then David gets this delivered to his home, a summons to court for covering that event in Peterborough.
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David is being charged with violating Section 10-1 of the Reopening Ontario Act.
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Section 10-1 is a basic enforcement of anti-gathering orders.
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So that order can be pre-existing or a cop can announce it on the spot.
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Every individual who is on the premises shall comply with the order to temporarily close the premises by promptly vacating the premises after being informed of the order.
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David was not told of any order to close any premises or leave any place.
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And David was not there as part of any gathering, but rather as a journalist reporting on him.
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This is obviously junk law harassing David because he's the Rebbe Award-winning journalist covering the pandemic, telling the story the media party won't and the political class hates.
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Anyway, so it's a summons and obviously we've provided a lawyer for David.
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And we asked the prosecutor, the police, for what's called disclosure.
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In Canadian law, the cops have to give you a copy in advance of everything they have and not just what they want to give you, but everything, including things that could exculpate you.
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And it is amazing and it is disgraceful and it is embarrassing to the police, I mean.
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And it's why I am nominating Staff Sergeant Dan McClain of the Peterborough Police as Canada's worst cop.
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And a reminder of how much power and information the government has about you.
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I don't mean to embarrass young David Menzies, but they disclosed every speeding ticket the lad ever had, including one going back almost 40 years.
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They've included the fact that in 1981, David Menzies ran a yellow light.
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Capital punishment is too lenient for such a criminal.
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Let me read for you excerpts from the complaint typed up by Staff Sergeant Dan McClain in his official report, which is why David's being charged.
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Going back to the summer of 2020, several community members and organizations have been organizing demonstrations to protest against the provincial government's COVID-19 restrictions.
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Members of these groups have been holding demonstrations every Saturday out front of City Hall on George Street.
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These demonstrations have grown from 10 to 15 participants to between 500 and 600 persons.
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The defendant, David Menzies, lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and is a reporter for the Rebel News media outlet.
00:20:13.500
Menzies is active on social media in the anti-lockdown movement across southern Ontario.
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David is actually the least active person on social media in our company.
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To be candid, I'm not sure if he even knows how to do that stuff.
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The only thing he ever tweets on Twitter, for example, are simply rebel news stories that he himself starred in.
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He never gets into flame wars or Twitter feuds.
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But this cop, Dan McClain, is trying to paint him as an organizer as opposed to what he is, a reporter covering the news.
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Menzies has attended and reported on protests across Ontario and Montreal.
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Other than what they're clearly trying to do, what clearly motivates him here, this is a political charge, a political vendetta.
00:21:07.280
They want him punished not for any health violation or whatever, but because he doesn't cheer for government lockdowns.
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Menzies has posted a video on Rebel News dated April 13th of being arrested by Montreal police.
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In that video, Menzies was observed struggling with police during his arrest.
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We're actually, as you know, suing the Montreal police for that violence against us and other violence against our staff.
00:21:40.500
But again, what's that got to do with David in Peterborough, Ontario, in April, other than trying to paint him as some sort of organizer?
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Then Staff Sergeant Dan McClain describes the protest on April 24th in Peterborough and says,
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This attracted participants from outside Peterborough, which included the defendant David Menzies.
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David Menzies was no more a participant in that protest than the police were.
00:22:16.860
They were both there in reaction to the protest, to respond to the protest.
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David was there to do a news report about it, like other reporters were.
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And the cops were there to do whatever it is that they do these days.
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If the case against David is so strong here, why is this story so fake and so full of BS?
00:22:38.760
At 1247 hours, Staff Sergeant McClain made note and observed Menzies approach and greet Mr.
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The two stood next to each other and engaged in the conversation.
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Neither person was wearing a mask or maintaining the required two-meter physical distancing.
00:23:01.040
After a short conversation, Menzies could be seen interviewing Mr. Bernier on the grass just off the stage area.
00:23:08.700
Ask a guy for an interview and then interview him.
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And only a total nut would do that with a mask on.
00:23:22.180
On one occasion, shortly after 1330 hours, while Mr. Hillier was speaking, Staff Sergeant McClain could hear a large portion of the crowd yelling,
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And officers who had just issued Maxime Bernier a ticket.
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But what does that have to do with David Menzies?
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This is now, what, the fourth little gem that's just been added to this report that's got nothing to do with David Menzies,
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but is absolutely designed to make it look like Menzies is an organizer, is a troublemaker, is violent, is jeering cops, whatever.
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They know they have to do more than just say David Menzies interviewed Randy Hillier or Maxime Bernier.
00:24:15.500
He embarrassed the chief of police there, never embarrassed the chief of police.
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Staff Sergeant McClain moved over to this location and stood beside Chief Gilbert,
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who was involved in a conversation with one of the speakers, MPP Randy Hillier.
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Staff Sergeant McClain observed Menzies in this scrum, shoulder to shoulder with other participants.
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Menzies could be seen on video shoving his handheld mic in the face of Police Constable McGill.
00:24:41.700
Menzies was attempting to obtain some sort of statement from Constable McGill
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Police Constable McGill did not respond back to Menzies' repeated requests.
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It goes on and on like this, but then it just gets absurd.
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They were taking photos and videos of David in action.
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And not only was he shaking hands, which the cops say is illegal,
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One photo shows Menzies and Mr. Hillier standing next to each other.
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While Mr. Hillier has his left hand on Menzies' right shoulder.
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Seriously, look at these notes from Staff Sergeant McClain's police notebook.
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Observe Mr. Bernier shake hands with male reporter from Rebel News,
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and then a detailed description of what David was wearing.
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Staff Sergeant Dan McClain sat down in his office
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There were 600 people there, so who were they going to charge?
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attempting to identify organizers and persons who were aggressive.
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He was neither an organizer, nor was he aggressive,
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other than asking questions and just getting no answers.
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that they breached Section 10-1, Reopening Ontario Act,
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by not wearing masks and not maintaining physical distance.
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So why did they choose charges against David Menzies?
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No other media wore masks, too, that I can see.
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So why did police charge just David Menzies but no other media?
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Here's David Menzies reaching over a provincial elected legislator,
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Randy Hillier, to capture him talking to the chief of police.
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This is literally the entire page 16 in their disclosure package.
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Here's their photographic proof that David shook a nice lady's hand.
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But remember, I'm reading to you from the police disclosure document.
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This is what they're giving to the prosecutors to prosecute David over.
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But this is what they hate more than anything else.
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David Menzies and Randy Hillier were having a laugh together.
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That is in their book of evidence that is so infuriating to them that Staff Sergeant Dan McLean
00:27:46.420
We've seen people arrested for shaking hands before, but now we've seen them being arrested
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or at least being charged, rather, for laughing.
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Staff Sergeant Dan McLean is Canada's worst cop.
00:28:01.180
I saw his phone number in this disclosure, and I just called him up.
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I told him I thought he was Canada's worst cop, and I wanted to hear his side of things.
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I am calling you Canada's worst cop, which is pretty stinging.
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And I thought I'd check and see if you had anything to say.
00:28:28.440
Yeah, I think you're doing it in the worst possible way.
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Giving people tickets for laughing, for handshaking.
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I think you're really abusing the law for political reasons.
00:28:40.260
During a pandemic and following the legislation, according to the law and what it states under
00:28:48.680
the Reopening Ontario Act, as far as the law and what the law states regarding maintaining
00:28:54.640
two-meter physical distancing, and if you can't do that, then you have to wear a mask?
00:29:08.820
So, are you aware of what the law, the Reopening Ontario Act states with respect to physical
00:29:18.700
Can you explain to me what the law states with respect to social distancing and physical
00:29:33.240
Now, it's clear, right, that he was asking me ironically, sarcastically, as in he's testing
00:29:38.140
my knowledge to show that he's smarter than me, right?
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Except that the Reopening Act, Ontario Reopening Act, doesn't actually say anything about social
00:29:50.660
Now, the word mask does appear in the regulations to that law and health orders that are updated
00:29:58.840
Here's the orders that were in effect the day of the protest David Menzies was covering.
00:30:03.280
You can see the word mask appears 43 times in the rags, but masks are specifically exempted
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Section F, performing or rehearsing a film or television production.
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When Canada's worst cop asked me if I knew the law, I don't think he was trying to rub it
00:30:27.640
I think he was actually asking me, maybe I could help him understand what the law was
00:30:34.240
So I asked Staff Sergeant Dan McLean why he only targeted David.
00:30:41.800
And I want to know if you've charged any other reporter in the country or just David Menzies.
00:30:51.680
You've asked me one in response, but you still haven't answered my question.
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I think it's pretty integral to you and reporting it fairly and objectively.
00:31:13.320
It's the law states under the Reopening Ontario Act and...
00:31:18.280
Do journalists have to wear masks outside when they're reporting?
00:31:22.980
Does any journalist in the country have to wear a mask when they're reporting or just David Menzies?
00:31:30.380
And when I am conducting my work, when I'm outside in public, I'm not exempt from not wearing a mask while I'm performing my duties.
00:31:43.700
The latest version of the lockdown in Ontario simply doesn't have anything about outdoor masks.
00:31:51.680
Now, have you charged any other reporters ever?
00:31:56.040
I mean, there were a bunch of reporters at that event.
00:32:00.620
So some of the other reporters were wearing masks, sir.
00:32:05.180
Yeah, not that I saw, but that's his way of saying David Menzies was the only reporter charged.
00:32:13.580
Now, I see that you have a picture of David shaking hands with a lady.
00:32:20.260
Is that an offense in your mind, shaking hands with someone on the street?
00:32:24.800
If you're not maintaining the physical distancing and not wearing a mask, then at that time, that is an offense under the Reopening Ontario Act.
00:32:38.000
That it's illegal to shake hands on the street?
00:32:43.460
We've got to have to build some more courthouses if that's the case.
00:32:47.180
Before we go on to the next question, how can you argue the fact that he's not committing an offense when he's in a crowd?
00:32:56.160
He's not maintaining the two meters physical distance.
00:33:15.200
How many people did you give tickets to for this same offense?
00:33:21.760
There was a number of individuals that had received...
00:33:32.800
And I think from the top of my head, I'm thinking 12 from the top of my head.
00:33:48.360
And more than any of that, he was just plain old embarrassed to the police chief by asking questions.
00:33:55.560
Well, why are you pulling me over for speeding?
00:33:58.060
Look, there's 500 other people there for speeding.
00:34:16.500
And every person that gets a ticket says the same thing.
00:34:21.820
I'm not sure if everyone says that when they're pulled over for a traffic ticket.
00:34:27.440
But when you literally have a gathering of 600 people, and then you meticulously spend 10 days choosing and selecting,
00:34:38.840
It's not just who you happen to pull over at any moment on a highway.
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Let me refer to Staff Sergeant McLean's handwritten notes.
00:34:56.980
They lied because they want to get him for political reasons.
00:35:00.400
The facts and issue are not favorable for Mr. Menzies.
00:35:09.040
The facts and issue as far as you will report, oh, police charge Mr. Menzies for laughing.
00:35:23.080
The fact that David was laughing was specifically mentioned in his written report.
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It was important enough that it was photographed and included when only a handful of photos.
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It was clearly something that bothered the police.
00:35:42.420
If laughing was irrelevant, why was it mentioned specifically?
00:35:51.540
Just that I would like you to report it in a fair, factual manner and that emphasis on the facts and issue.
00:36:09.000
I don't have anything personal against Rebel News, Mr. Menzies or you, sir.
00:36:26.120
Maybe you can write this down, that we try to be as fair and impartial as we possibly can,
00:36:32.480
but knowing that we cannot please everyone and that there will be people that are going to be upset.
00:36:44.020
You know, it was a frustrating 15 minutes with that cop.
00:36:52.660
I was actually surprised that he would talk to me at all about a case that hasn't been in court yet.
00:36:57.460
I think it's a bit weird for a cop to speak at length about a case before he has to appear as a witness in that case.
00:37:05.520
I agree with some of the things that he said, I've got to tell you.
00:37:11.520
They are not evenly enforced and his job is to enforce them.
00:37:15.940
Why get mad at a law enforcement officer for enforcing laws he didn't write?
00:37:20.460
Why not get mad at the fools writing those laws?
00:37:23.360
And by the way, those aren't even elected officials.
00:37:28.460
These are regulations passed by unknown, unnamed, unaccountable public health bureaucrats.
00:37:34.880
I'll tell you, he changed my mind a couple of degrees, but not a lot.
00:37:38.500
Because out of 600 people who attended that day, 588 went home without a ticket.
00:37:45.160
And unlike Staff Sergeant McClain's analogy to random speeding tickets, this was anything but random.
00:38:00.080
They labeled people as political troublemakers.
00:38:02.500
That's why they chose David Menzies as the only reporter to charge.
00:38:09.280
I asked this cop five times why he chose David Menzies and he wouldn't answer any time.
00:38:23.400
Well, obviously that dishonor goes to Montreal.
00:38:28.380
But for singling out our rebel news reporter who has a TV mask exemption, who is outdoors,
00:38:36.160
singling him out for the offense of shaking hands with a lovely old lady,
00:38:41.820
and then singling him out for the offense of laughing and taking surveillance photos
00:38:46.820
of the handshaking and the laughing and then defending that as normal policing,
00:38:52.780
I hereby nominate Staff Sergeant Dan McClain of Peterborough as Canada's worst cop.
00:39:03.800
And if you want to help David Menzies and stand with him, well, then go to standwithmenzies.com
00:39:11.560
because we are going to fight this all the way, and we've got a few more questions for
00:39:18.520
Staff Sergeant McClain, except for this time he'll be under oath when he answers them.
00:39:55.120
Right now, you're under arrest under the provincial health orders.
00:39:58.320
Okay, so if you can just put your hands behind your back, face towards the vehicle.
00:40:09.300
Do you have any weapons or anything on you, sir?
00:40:12.780
Anything on you that's going to hurt me or anything like that?
00:40:15.800
Anything on you that's going to hurt me or anything like that?
00:40:24.380
I'll explain a few things that you hear right away.
00:40:29.880
That's the footage of People's Party leader, Maxime Bernier, being arrested, handcuffed,
00:40:36.520
put in the back of a police vehicle, and later taken to jail, all for the non-crime of attending
00:40:45.600
I emphasize the non-crime because it was no one less than Justin Trudeau's RCMP who did
00:40:51.460
the arresting, although you'll notice the police officer was wearing a Under Armour ball cap.
00:41:03.620
Well, joining us now to talk about this, now safely freed from jail and back in Quebec
00:41:14.060
Tell us what happened after you were put into the back of the police vehicle.
00:41:25.320
First of all, Ezra, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to speak to Canadians
00:41:31.400
You know, you're right saying since the beginning that it was not about COVID.
00:41:44.200
Actually, the premier of Manitoba, Mr. Pallister said before, Thursday before, that if I'm going
00:41:52.580
to Manitoba, my wallet will have to be open and it's at my own risk.
00:42:00.580
And that was, he doesn't want to have any Canadians, politicians speak against these
00:42:08.200
So, yes, when I was in the car, first of all, I was very surprised to be arrested.
00:42:13.580
My lawyer told me that, you know, there's a risk that you'll be arrested, that will be
00:42:18.320
And I was arrested, actually, after the second get-together that I did.
00:42:23.980
And the rule over there, their unconstitutional rule over there is if you are more than five
00:42:35.420
So at the first meeting with my people, my part is in a little village.
00:42:45.720
And after that, they said to me, you know, if you're doing another event out there with
00:42:50.060
more than five people, you have a risk to be arrested.
00:42:52.860
So I spoke with my lawyers and they told me that you have a strong case.
00:43:01.680
And I decided to do the second event in St. Pierre, Jolie, near Winnipeg, about an hour
00:43:25.240
And when I was in the car, policemen told me that, you know, we're going to go to the
00:43:30.820
station, the police station in that same village.
00:43:41.640
And they said to me, you have the right to do two phone calls to your lawyer.
00:43:53.320
I was in the jail alone with no bed and nothing for eight hours.
00:43:59.820
But the Crown wanted me to be able to live and to be free again on certain conditions.
00:44:10.660
And the condition was against my own freedom, my own charters, my own right to speak, my freedom
00:44:18.520
of speech, because they were asking the judge to be sure that I won't be able to communicate
00:44:24.080
on social media, to do any rallies and things like that.
00:44:31.220
The judge said, OK, the only condition would be for Bernier to pay a thousand bucks to be
00:44:36.020
sure that he will be back in court July the 27th.
00:44:39.680
And that was, and the other condition was to respect the law, like every Canadian must respect
00:44:49.300
And the police asked me after, I think I was free at around 11 o'clock p.m. that day.
00:45:03.560
And they said, you must leave the province early tomorrow morning.
00:45:07.020
And they followed us when I was driving to my hotel to be sure that I'm going to my hotel.
00:45:14.100
I was feeling like being in a communist country.
00:45:17.520
And the day after, I took the first ride to Montreal.
00:45:23.600
But Ezra, I had a decision to take at that time because we had a rally planned.
00:45:28.160
Actually, that's Friday night that has been canceled.
00:45:30.760
But we had a rally, a real rally, open to public in Winnipeg at 2 o'clock p.m. the Saturday.
00:45:38.620
So I took the decision to leave the province and not go into that rally.
00:45:44.560
Because for me, I had another, maybe I'll be in jail, but because doing that rally and
00:45:53.000
I said, you know, I cannot be in jail until the 27th of July, because the 27th of July
00:45:59.500
was the date and is the date for me to be back in court.
00:46:03.440
So the risk was too huge for me to stay a couple of weeks in jail.
00:46:10.760
And we, as you know, we will have an electoral campaign this fall.
00:46:26.020
I'll be back to campaign there as soon as I will be able to do it.
00:46:32.960
We've seen a Christian pastor in Edmonton spend 35 days in a maximum security jail.
00:46:39.800
So the threat of you being in prison for a month is not as far-fetched as it would sound.
00:46:46.460
I want to ask you about two things you mentioned.
00:46:48.700
Did you say that the Crown Prosecutor wanted to ban you from using social media?
00:46:58.100
And after that, in the press release, they denied that.
00:47:02.860
And my lawyer argued, and they didn't want me to use social media, to use social media for, or do some rallies, and using social media to organize rallies, to speak against lockdowns.
00:47:21.760
So a lot of details, conditions like that, that we say no to that.
00:47:26.920
And I was pleased with the judge and say, no, no, a thousand bucks is okay.
00:47:31.700
And Bernie would be back and we'll have a discussion in court in July, at the end of July.
00:47:37.640
Well, that's so outrageous that they would try and censor you on Twitter or elsewhere.
00:47:44.540
Now, you mentioned that you promised to obey the law and you would come back in July for court.
00:47:53.540
But then you said the police wanted you out of the province, really, on the next flight.
00:47:59.100
Was that part of the judge's order or was that the police rushing you out of town?
00:48:04.360
Did the judge say you have to get out on the next flight or was that the cops?
00:48:12.060
After my release, they were asking me, where are you going?
00:48:18.680
And we suggest to you that you must leave as soon as possible this province.
00:48:26.380
We will follow you everywhere in this province.
00:48:29.640
And you may be back in jail, depending on what you're doing.
00:48:33.620
So that was a strong, strong advice for me to leave as soon as possible the province.
00:48:40.380
But that came from the cops, not from the judge, just to be crystal clear.
00:48:48.200
You know, I have to tell you, I follow politics in other countries sometimes, like in Russia and Venezuela and places like that that are not free.
00:48:57.660
And the harassment of political opposition, false arrests, trumped up charges, police being used as political enforcers.
00:49:07.400
That's something that when it happens in Russia or Venezuela, we speak out about it.
00:49:15.220
You had the premier and you had a mayor threaten you with arrest.
00:49:21.660
And the police basically admitted they were there to enforce Brian Pallister's will.
00:49:30.400
You know, and also, like you said in the beginning, I was surprised that the RCMP didn't have all their uniform.
00:49:38.140
And somebody told me, because it may be cops coming from Winnipeg and not cops working in that little town over there.
00:49:47.580
And so it was a little bit bizarre that they didn't have their jeans and not their straight uniform, as you know.
00:50:00.540
I mean, normally you don't see a sponsored brand like Nike or Under Arm on police.
00:50:09.840
I've never, you know, the idea that, I mean, you're a senior politician.
00:50:15.580
You know, as far as I've known, you've never in your entire life had a history of crime or violence.
00:50:29.020
This isn't even a, you weren't charged with any crime, let alone a violent crime.
00:50:37.540
You know, when I was in the car, when I was at the police station, I still had them.
00:50:42.860
And I think I had for one hour or something like that.
00:50:48.420
But usually, things like that, it will take two or three hours, and you'll have a discussion with a judge, and you'll be out on certain conditions.
00:51:00.760
They wanted to be sure that I understand that I'm not welcome.
00:51:04.920
That was part of the intimidation game, I believe.
00:51:11.700
Now, it happened sort of at the close of the day, so some folks might have been heading home.
00:51:16.460
But, you know, it was such a dramatic thing to arrest a political party leader.
00:51:20.400
I tried to imagine what would happen if Stephen Harper were the prime minister, and the RCMP under him would have arrested and jailed Elizabeth May.
00:51:29.160
I think it would have been the top story on the newscast at night.
00:51:32.920
And I think it would have been the front page of the newspapers the next day.
00:51:36.480
And I think there would have been calls for investigations of police overreach.
00:51:42.140
I don't read all the mainstream media, so perhaps I missed something.
00:51:46.460
But was there an outcry from civil liberties groups or from the media about this?
00:52:00.180
You know, for them, it's like business as usual, and they don't like what I'm saying.
00:52:06.140
That's why it was political, political repression.
00:52:11.480
And I'm very—I don't trust any more mainstream media like you, Ezra.
00:52:19.240
And they didn't give me—that's the first interview I'm doing, actually, Ezra.
00:52:24.100
And I didn't have any call for a radio station interview, mainstream radio station or mainstream newspaper or mainstream TV.
00:52:35.020
They put something out there that I was in jail.
00:52:42.620
And I'm worried that they're trying to cancel you, to de-platform you, and I'm worried that they actually would like you to be a political prisoner.
00:52:53.160
And whether or not people agree with you or disagree with you, we should all be terrified that a political leader could be jailed in so clearly a politicized police mission.
00:53:04.360
I appreciate you making time for us, and please also make time for our new Quebec-based reporter, Alexandre Lavoie, who reports in both French and English.
00:53:14.240
I know she'll be very interested in telling your story to our viewers in Quebec as well.
00:53:24.560
Maxime Bernier, the leader of the People's Party, joining us via Skype.
00:53:51.560
I'm saying he's not the most violent or something like that.
00:53:53.600
But you're literally charging a man for laughing and handshaking.
00:54:02.560
Until tomorrow, on behalf of all of us here, to you at home, good night and keep fighting for freedom.