Rebel News Podcast - EZRA LEVANT ｜ Democracy Fund lawyer shares update on Amish facing ArriveCAN penalties

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00:00:36.060 Tonight, an update on the Amish, the ones that the government punished for not downloading the Arrive Can app.

00:00:57.780 It's June 12th, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.

00:01:00.660 Shame on you, you censorious bug.

00:01:15.880 Oh, hi everybody, Ezra Levant here. I am back in Chatsworth, which is about two and a half hours northwest of Toronto.

00:01:23.280 No, I am in Amish country. And the reason I'm here is because nine months ago, Rebel News and the Democracy Fund charity made a promise to the Amish that we would help them fight one of the most outrageous cases of government overreach I've ever seen in my life.

00:01:39.840 If you don't know what the Amish are, they're a very strict religious denomination.

00:01:45.220 They're Christian. They came as a sort of refugee from Central Europe.

00:01:51.060 They're pacifists, and they have a belief to eschew anything modern.

00:01:56.140 They don't drive cars. They don't have smartphones. They don't use electricity.

00:01:59.820 They traveled, even in 2025, in a horse and carriage, and they keep to themselves their very low-tech.

00:02:09.540 It's a lifestyle choice that wouldn't be there for many, but for the Amish, it's their religious faith expressed every day.

00:02:16.260 They get along with their neighbors. They're quiet people. They're not aggressive. They live in the countryside.

00:02:21.880 They're not ostentatious. In fact, because they use animal power for their farm implements, they're financially modest people.

00:02:31.140 But then the pandemic happened, and when the Amish would cross the border to the states, because there's Amish communities in the northeastern United States, in Ohio, in Pennsylvania, in New York,

00:02:42.760 they would be asked upon their return a question that would have sounded something like this.

00:02:47.260 Have you downloaded the Arrive Can app on your smartphone?

00:02:53.920 Okay, these folks don't have smartphones.

00:02:56.440 An app is not a word they use, other than maybe it doesn't mean an appetizer.

00:03:02.280 Arrive Can is a meaningless phrase for 99% of regular Canadians.

00:03:06.940 I'd be surprised if a single Amish person had heard of it.

00:03:09.620 So these Amish who were crossing the border were asked this absurd question if they downloaded this government malware, this spyware that Trudeau's friends made.

00:03:20.740 And of course they didn't.

00:03:22.540 So unbeknownst to the Amish, every time they went through, they were fined $5,000 or $6,000.

00:03:28.660 And they didn't understand what these words meant.

00:03:31.520 And they would go about their life.

00:03:32.880 If they were exempt from the masks, and they told me that they thought this was a mask thing, and they had a religious exemption.

00:03:39.760 Anyways, one day they discovered that their farmhouses had a lien against them.

00:03:46.660 Do you know what a lien is?

00:03:47.560 It's a government encumbrance that, or anyone could put a lien on your property if you owe a debt.

00:03:53.000 It's a way of saying, you will not be able to sell this house unless you pay us first.

00:03:59.220 So if you sell this house, or bequeath it, or put a mortgage on it, you can't do any of those things until you pay this debt first.

00:04:07.740 So dozens of Amish people, unbeknownst to themselves, had liens on their farmhouses. 0.93

00:04:14.680 They didn't even know what that was.

00:04:17.420 They didn't know how it got there.

00:04:18.960 And they didn't know who to ask for help, because one of the things about the Amish is they're very pacifist.

00:04:24.200 They're non-confrontational.

00:04:26.020 They do not go towards conflict.

00:04:28.160 They submit to authority.

00:04:30.000 But here was some punishing hand upon them.

00:04:32.700 They don't even know what for or where it came from.

00:04:36.340 Luckily, they had a friend who is not Amish, who follows Rebel News and the Democracy Fund. 1.00

00:04:42.400 And they opened up to him.

00:04:44.140 They told them the pickle they were in, and he connected us.

00:04:48.000 His name was Grant, and here's a little interview I had with Grant nine months ago.

00:04:51.860 Grant is your name.

00:04:52.800 Grant, thanks very much for setting up today's meeting.

00:04:54.760 It's sort of difficult, because we couldn't phone.

00:04:57.440 We couldn't email.

00:04:58.380 Even when we were running late, we really had no way to tell the Amish that we were just 10 minutes away. 0.82

00:05:04.200 They really do live that old lifestyle, don't they?

00:05:06.600 They do.

00:05:07.080 They walk the walk.

00:05:08.280 And that's what I respect about it.

00:05:10.000 No matter what it is, they bottle their beliefs and their faith, and they don't stray from that at all.

00:05:18.600 So you yourself are not Amish, of course, and you have no problem using phones and cell phones. 0.97

00:05:23.740 In fact, you're somewhat familiar with the Democracy Fund.

00:05:26.280 Well, I am.

00:05:26.940 I am.

00:05:27.240 I found them on Telegram, and I read up on it.

00:05:31.400 I became familiar with what they've done so far in helping those people in BC.

00:05:35.740 That's what really piqued my interest, and I didn't know that the Amish had a problem.

00:05:40.660 I've had various conversations, but they found out that I dealt with customs issues commercially, and that's how that topic came up.

00:05:48.220 It's a matter of trust with the Amish as well, because I've known them so well for so long that they felt comfortable asking me about that.

00:05:57.420 So you reassured them, because you've been dealing with them on a business level, you've gotten to know them personally.

00:06:05.980 So it was your telephone that was used to connect Adam Blake Gallupo of the Democracy Fund with the head of what they call their steering committee.

00:06:15.000 So you were sort of the bridge between the old world and the new.

00:06:17.440 That's right. That's right.

00:06:19.320 Well, you sat in the meeting, and it's sort of funny what I'm doing here now, because normally I would show the leader of the community, and I would have him done.

00:06:26.860 By the way, he looks wonderful. He sounds wonderful. It was such a heartwarming meeting, but he can't be seen on camera. That's just not their way.

00:06:35.080 You heard my introduction here. Is that an accurate representation of what's been happening to the families here?

00:06:41.060 Very accurate.

00:06:41.860 And, of course, Adam Blake Gallupo is dealing with the families directly, and again, I'm not exactly sure how that's being done, because, you know, fax machines, phone calls, emails.

00:06:52.220 I guess you're the interlocutor. You're like the ambassador, the diplomat.

00:06:56.380 That's right. I show up. We set a date and a time, and I go to a certain place, and then we have a meeting on the phone with Adam.

00:07:04.720 Well, Grant kept his promise to help the Amish, and so did the Democracy Fund.

00:07:10.280 Over the last nine months, Democracy Fund lawyers Mark Joseph and Adam Blake Gallupo have come out here hours and hours to meet in person with dozens of Amish, and they come in their horse and buggy.

00:07:24.700 It's quite a logistical thing to set up a meeting.

00:07:27.740 I mean, think about it. How would you set up a meeting in another city?

00:07:31.020 You would telephone. You would use an email. You might use a Google Map or Waze.

00:07:37.100 How do you do that with folks who don't use electronics? 1.00

00:07:39.580 So it's very logistically intensive just to get Amish people here and then to explain in layman's terms what's going on.

00:07:48.360 Well, over the course of time, dozens of Amish have made the journey to the house here, and I can't show you the house,

00:07:55.180 and I can't show you the leader of the Amish, who I've gotten to know a little bit over the last nine months,

00:08:01.220 because again, not only do they not use video cameras and photographs,

00:08:05.640 they really believe in not appearing in cameras or videos as well.

00:08:11.060 There are other Amish in the States who have less strict approaches,

00:08:14.680 and of course, if you want to see what the Amish look like, as I've mentioned before,

00:08:18.900 there are some outstanding movies that actually sort of do look like the Amish in real life.

00:08:26.320 Harrison Ford had a great one about 25 years ago.

00:08:30.420 My point is it's very hard to tell the story when you can't show the people involved.

00:08:33.520 If you think it's hard to tell the story, imagine fighting not just lawsuits,

00:08:37.420 but lawsuits that have aged out, because what happened was these Amish would get the fine. 0.56

00:08:44.820 It wouldn't be brought to their attention.

00:08:46.740 They're not checking their email or faxes.

00:08:49.960 A lien would be put on their property.

00:08:52.100 They would not be in any court hearing.

00:08:54.140 They didn't even know this happened.

00:08:55.960 And then two, three, four years later, trying to undo this,

00:09:00.800 trying to crack open a cold case to open up a conviction

00:09:05.720 and have a re-hearing again.

00:09:08.180 It's astonishing to me that nine months into it,

00:09:10.760 the province of Ontario, which is the real bully here,

00:09:13.780 although the Arrive Can app and the rules were designed by Justin Trudeau,

00:09:18.840 it was Doug Ford and his prosecutors who had a vengeance for some bizarre reason.

00:09:25.060 They really went hard against the Amish.

00:09:27.460 For nine months, the government has shown no mercy,

00:09:30.920 insisting on defending their actions.

00:09:34.260 But the Democracy Fund lawyers have slowly but surely managed to open up case after case,

00:09:40.420 and in many times, the fines have been withdrawn.

00:09:44.100 I was talking to the head of the church, the head of their committee, as it's called,

00:09:48.720 and he said that some people came to this farmhouse to sign up for help from the Democracy Fund

00:09:54.860 because they had a ticket.

00:09:56.560 They knew they had a ticket, and they came here to get help.

00:09:59.300 And when they arrived here, only then did they learn that the government had put a lien on their property.

00:10:07.640 What a terrifying thing.

00:10:09.500 Imagine you're just going to meet a lawyer to take care of some ticket,

00:10:12.760 and you find out that the government has put an encumbrance on your family farmhouse.

00:10:17.740 The shock of it, the terror.

00:10:21.860 And what do you do?

00:10:23.000 Well, thankfully, the Democracy Fund is there to help.

00:10:26.180 Stay with me in a moment.

00:10:27.140 We'll talk to Mark Joseph, one of the lawyers working for the Democracy Fund and the Amish.

00:10:30.940 All right, joining me now is Mark Joseph, one of the lawyers at the Democracy Fund.

00:10:46.800 He's made the journey out to Amish country many times, Mark.

00:10:49.640 Great to see you again.

00:10:50.600 Thanks for having me.

00:10:51.320 You know, it's very decompressing to come out here.

00:10:54.200 I'm addicted to my cell phone.

00:10:55.900 It's insane.

00:10:56.640 I'm like a teenage girl.

00:10:57.860 I'm always checking it.

00:10:58.780 If I don't have it in my hand, I get nervous.

00:11:02.020 To come to a place where they don't use email at all, they don't use faxes,

00:11:05.260 they don't use telephones other than if someone else brings a phone, they'll talk on it.

00:11:10.440 It's like taking a step back in time two centuries.

00:11:13.960 Yeah, I mean, we have to come up here, meet with the elders.

00:11:17.420 They don't use telephones.

00:11:18.580 Obviously, they have no smartphones.

00:11:20.180 It's all by letter mail.

00:11:21.540 It's arranged with an intermediary to set up a time.

00:11:25.300 Then we have to sit down with them.

00:11:26.620 We have to explain everything in layperson's terms, which they understand.

00:11:31.560 But, you know, the process is much more onus than having a normal client in the city.

00:11:36.000 I sat in today for part of the meeting.

00:11:38.860 Two men from two young men from this community who went to the States.

00:11:42.480 I think it was Ohio.

00:11:43.900 One of them got married down there.

00:11:45.100 And that's the thing.

00:11:45.620 These Amish travel around from community to community for dating.

00:11:48.860 I mean, if you're a young Amish guy, you're not using Amish Tinder or whatever the apps are these days.

00:11:54.960 You are going in person and you're going to other Amish communities.

00:11:59.240 And so whenever they would cross the border, which they would do all the time because their friends and families are just on the other side.

00:12:05.240 Anyhow, so a couple of the guys here today, one of them in particular lives in Ohio, just got married down there.

00:12:10.620 But he's got to come back up here to fight this because he can't do it by remote.

00:12:15.580 He can't do it on a Zoom call.

00:12:17.160 He can't do it on a phone call.

00:12:18.720 So the hassle, I'm just trying to imagine.

00:12:21.140 He leaves his farm in Ohio by horse and carriage.

00:12:25.180 I think he takes a bus across the border.

00:12:27.620 Then he somehow gets another horse and carriage and he's here because he's got to be here in person.

00:12:32.700 And just the logistical challenge of him coming here, which is something that any other victim of the justice system would just handle in a Zoom call.

00:12:42.740 Yeah, I mean, our court system isn't really designed to handle these folks.

00:12:47.140 So as you say, they have to make travel arrangements.

00:12:49.840 They can't go online to find out, you know, what train or bus they need to take.

00:12:54.960 So really, the logistics are difficult for them.

00:12:57.860 But, you know, we've managed to handle it so far.

00:13:00.420 All I was thinking about when I was in there, like I was listening, and I'm not going to give away any solicitor-client privilege,

00:13:05.920 but you were talking about if you get something in the mail, give a copy and we'll send something.

00:13:12.040 Like just things that we take for granted in the 21st century in Canada, that's not how they operate.

00:13:18.760 And we hear all this talk about reasonable accommodation and is the government being culturally sensitive?

00:13:24.980 And is the law being sensitive and sensitivity training for judges?

00:13:29.460 And it makes me want to gag all this DEI. 0.54

00:13:31.820 But here we have a real case of a community that they're not being intransigent.

00:13:36.880 This is just, they just don't use tech.

00:13:39.520 And instead of accommodating them, instead of, I mean, the very fact that they punish these people in the first place is insane.

00:13:48.640 I just can't get over.

00:13:49.720 I just would have loved to have been a fly on the wall watching some border guard say,

00:13:54.800 did you download the Arrive Can app on your smartphone, sir?

00:13:59.440 Like I could just imagine the, and the Amish folks saying, what's that? 0.99

00:14:04.780 Or say again?

00:14:05.980 Like, what kind of a bully?

00:14:08.380 Knowing these folks don't use smartphones, what is use?

00:14:12.480 Anyhow, and even just sitting there in the meeting, the amount of effort to, when you get a mail, make a copy, send it in the mail.

00:14:20.020 Now, this court system, which, you know, says it's so tolerant, all I could see in there was the effects of the intolerance on the Amish.

00:14:30.640 Yeah, look, it makes it difficult for these types of people to get their fair hearing.

00:14:40.560 I mean, your listeners know that they were convicted in absentia.

00:14:44.180 So they didn't even realize that they had a problem until they went to deal with their farm or get a loan, and they've had a lien on.

00:14:52.560 And then we've heard that one gentleman actually did sell his farm to meet that lien obligation.

00:14:58.760 Oh, my God, I didn't know that.

00:15:01.380 Yeah, that's a bit of a problem.

00:15:02.420 He sold his farm.

00:15:04.320 That's what we understand.

00:15:05.660 We haven't confirmed that.

00:15:06.580 Is that here in Ontario?

00:15:07.780 That's in Ontario, yeah.

00:15:09.360 Of course it would be, I guess.

00:15:12.480 You know, when I first reported nine months ago about these liens, someone said, uh-huh, this is the government trying to take their land.

00:15:19.420 And I thought, you know, that's an exaggeration.

00:15:22.520 A lien is just a debt collection tool.

00:15:25.160 They're not really coming for the farms.

00:15:27.000 And you're saying one of these Amish farmers, from what you've heard, actually did sell his farm to get this government encumbrance off.

00:15:35.660 I am sick to my stomach hearing that.

00:15:38.280 Yeah.

00:15:39.220 Again, that doesn't sound too outrageous to us because these fines can be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

00:15:45.980 Oh, my God.

00:15:48.160 Do we know who this farmer is?

00:15:50.620 We haven't made any inquiries, but we think that might have triggered the effort from the Amish to clear these liens.

00:15:57.960 Oh, my God.

00:15:58.760 I did not know that.

00:16:01.960 It was some YouTube commenter who said, oh, this is a scam or a scheme to get their land.

00:16:07.940 I thought, no, it's just an abusive debt collector.

00:16:10.440 But what you're saying proves the conspiracy theory true.

00:16:14.420 And these Amish, I was talking, I don't want to mention names, but I was talking to the, and I even promised the head of the steering committee, I wouldn't say his name on camera.

00:16:25.680 But the head of the steering committee, who we both know and have met several times, he was telling me about how terrified a lady was when she came here to deal with the ticket and she found out she had a lien.

00:16:39.380 She actually fell ill from the stress of it.

00:16:43.740 Because imagine, these folks, they're doing their best to live old-fashioned style, to live in the world but not of the world, they say. 0.99

00:16:53.220 And to be told that your property might be seized by the government because of some damn fool arrive, can't they have? 0.99

00:17:01.300 She literally worried herself sick. 1.00

00:17:05.020 She worried herself sick.

00:17:07.160 That's what the head of the steering committee told me.

00:17:09.180 Yeah, I mean, it is terrifying.

00:17:10.960 I wouldn't know where to begin if I had a massive lien on my property.

00:17:15.860 So for them, they're still having problems now because they go to get, you know, their capital.

00:17:21.680 You know what this reminds me of?

00:17:22.940 I'm sorry to interrupt you.

00:17:23.800 Just, Donna, you know what this is like?

00:17:25.440 This is like when Chrystia Freeland froze hundreds of people's credit cards. 0.96

00:17:30.680 And so a lot of families, the husband and the wife, share a bank account.

00:17:34.560 So you're a missus at a grocery store.

00:17:36.840 Your husband's at the truckers.

00:17:38.320 And you go to pay for groceries.

00:17:39.940 This card doesn't work.

00:17:40.840 This card doesn't work.

00:17:41.580 None of your cards work.

00:17:43.040 Your debit card doesn't work.

00:17:44.460 You declined.

00:17:45.480 What happened?

00:17:46.240 The panic, the panic you feel because the government turned off your money and you don't

00:17:52.080 know what to do and you don't know where it came from and you don't understand what's

00:17:54.560 going on, how this happened.

00:17:55.640 I didn't get any notice.

00:17:56.780 That was absolutely terrifying for 21st century Canadians. 0.99

00:18:01.080 Imagine you're living the Amish life and suddenly the government says, I'm taking your

00:18:07.220 farm.

00:18:08.360 I can, that is an existential terror.

00:18:11.220 And just thinking about, it's just so abusive.

00:18:14.260 I'm just so mad.

00:18:15.920 And I said to the steering committee, how angry this was making.

00:18:20.020 I would not make a good Amish because I got too angry.

00:18:24.120 Well, we're trying to repair the damage.

00:18:27.200 My co-counsel, Adam Blake Gallupo, is getting what's called dispositions from the court so

00:18:30.900 that these documents can then be used with a bank or other people so they can clear their

00:18:35.760 name.

00:18:36.240 So the damage has been done.

00:18:37.940 We're trying to repair what we can.

00:18:39.020 Well, this is the kind of work that the Democracy Fund was built for.

00:18:45.180 The Democracy Fund is, as you know, Mark's our senior litigator.

00:18:49.700 Democracy Fund really came about in response to these kind of civil liberties violations

00:18:55.940 during the lockdowns.

00:18:58.600 Democracy Fund was there for various Christian churches that were shut down.

00:19:02.280 And I talked to the head of the steering committee about that.

00:19:04.320 Even the Amish had heard about the case of Arthur Pawlowski in Alberta.

00:19:09.220 And here we are with one of the Amish gentlemen.

00:19:12.340 This is Amish country, that's for sure. 1.00

00:19:17.340 To fight for these people who are being bullied, that's the word I can't...

00:19:22.200 If I had one word to sum up what's going on, it's bullying.

00:19:25.560 It's pick on someone your own size.

00:19:28.480 Of all the people to pick a fight with, there is...

00:19:31.940 I don't know anyone in the world that doesn't like the Amish, other than if you're trapped 1.00

00:19:35.760 behind one of those horses and buggies, maybe for 30 seconds, you're frustrated because they're

00:19:41.040 not moving very fast on the roads.

00:19:42.580 I can't even imagine a reason not to like the Amish.

00:19:45.400 They literally keep to themselves.

00:19:47.440 They're submissive in any way.

00:19:48.540 They're pacifist.

00:19:49.440 Imagine being a government that says, I'm going to ruin them.

00:19:53.940 I'm going to ruin the thing they love most.

00:19:56.220 I'm going to ruin their farm.

00:19:58.060 The bullying, the malevolence there.

00:20:01.560 This is what the Democracy Fund was born to do.

00:20:04.580 Well, I mean, look, I'm not going to comment on what went on behind the scenes at the government

00:20:09.960 bureaucracy, the Crown.

00:20:11.700 We deal with the court.

00:20:13.020 They've been very good.

00:20:13.980 When we do get in contact with them, we've had some success in sending these aside.

00:20:17.640 We have a couple appeals we're still going to do, but TDF was set up to fight these fights

00:20:22.160 to the very end as our donors are helping out, obviously.

00:20:26.820 So that's what we're going to do.

00:20:29.300 You know, the courts really slowed to a crawl during the lockdowns.

00:20:33.600 So there was a lot of backlogs.

00:20:35.000 I'm not just talking civil courts, criminal courts.

00:20:37.740 Like there were serious criminal trials that, you know, and if you wait too long on a criminal

00:20:42.900 trial, they age out and the cases dropped.

00:20:46.380 But I'm talking about serious violent crimes.

00:20:49.540 Imagine being a prosecutor and saying, no, no, no, no, no.

00:20:51.960 I'm going to prioritize those Amish. 1.00

00:20:54.200 I'm going to take prosecutorial resources and go after the Amish. 1.00

00:20:57.680 And imagine a court saying, you know, I got a lot of things I could hear, a lot of cases

00:21:02.200 really, really late, but I'm going to make time for that.

00:21:05.640 I mean, I just, the prosecutorial priority here, it's infuriating.

00:21:12.640 Give me some good news, Mark.

00:21:14.060 How is the fight actually coming along?

00:21:17.180 Well, like I said, we've had some success with the Amish.

00:21:19.800 Is there any, and you can't reveal things and certain things are underway.

00:21:23.380 Is there anything you can tangibly report to us?

00:21:26.580 Is any case finally concluded?

00:21:28.060 Yeah, we've had about, you know, 33 clients, about $300,000 worth of fines.

00:21:33.720 So a lot of those have been resolved.

00:21:36.680 We still have some on the go.

00:21:38.060 And resolved, you mean the ticket's thrown out and the lien is removed?

00:21:41.620 That's right.

00:21:42.200 Yeah.

00:21:42.440 We're in the process of getting these liens removed.

00:21:44.560 Like I said, my co-counsel is getting those dispositions.

00:21:47.160 So we're moving it along.

00:21:48.380 We have had some success.

00:21:49.540 So you get the ruling from the court and then you have to take it to the land titles.

00:21:53.920 That's what you mean.

00:21:54.880 And then they remove the lien.

00:21:56.200 Is that how it works?

00:21:57.540 Well, the lien should come off.

00:21:59.300 But you need what's called a disposition if you can't, if it doesn't automatically come off.

00:22:05.120 Now, I'm not a lien expert, but this is the hoops we have to jump through.

00:22:08.100 And we've committed to the Amish to do that.

00:22:10.500 And I felt, I mean, if you're frustrated, imagine being an Amish.

00:22:15.000 Keep going.

00:22:15.440 I'm interrupting you because I'm so mad.

00:22:17.180 Keep going.

00:22:17.940 Right.

00:22:18.240 So that's what we've been doing.

00:22:19.660 And so they are starting to see loans on the farms that they need for, you know,

00:22:23.880 for livestock or capital equipment or whatever it is.

00:22:26.260 So we have had some success.

00:22:28.360 We, you know, they express every time we speak to them, they're grateful to our donors for helping out.

00:22:32.800 Because that's obviously who makes this all happen.

00:22:34.780 I'm still thinking about that case you have heard of.

00:22:40.740 We don't know the farmers.

00:22:43.240 And that's one of the challenges here.

00:22:46.080 We could have a video going viral about this.

00:22:48.700 In fact, my video nine months ago, more than half a million people saw it on YouTube.

00:22:52.580 But no Amish saw it. 0.93

00:22:53.760 So that's the thing.

00:22:55.700 There's probably someone out there who was deeply wronged by this.

00:23:00.320 But they don't know help's available.

00:23:02.160 In this case, it's only because there was a friend of the community named Grant who watched Rebel News videos.

00:23:08.960 He was sort of the go-between.

00:23:11.480 But I don't know how you even ask for help.

00:23:15.800 It's in the pre-internet era.

00:23:19.540 How would you go about it?

00:23:21.140 These folks write snail mail letters.

00:23:23.300 All right.

00:23:23.620 You know, when I talked to, I was going to say his name, the head of the steering committee as well, and it takes up a lot of his time, but they're pleased with it.

00:23:33.700 They're getting acculturated to this.

00:23:36.620 They understand the vocabulary now.

00:23:38.760 And I think, and he said the church is grateful to him, and so are individuals who are putting this behind them.

00:23:44.340 We're doing the right thing here.

00:23:45.680 Hopefully, by 2026, these matters will be done.

00:23:50.040 The justice system moves more slowly than a horse and carriage.

00:23:53.620 Right.

00:23:54.520 You know, like I said, we'll pursue this to the bitter end.

00:23:57.940 We'll go as far as we can.

00:23:59.600 We'll go to the, you know, the divisional court or wherever you have to go to appeal these if they don't overturn them.

00:24:06.500 But that's what we're committed to do.

00:24:08.180 You know, I want to respect their rules.

00:24:11.320 We're very careful to respect their rules.

00:24:13.360 I have not said the name of the steering committee boss or any of the clients.

00:24:16.900 We drove out here in our cars, but they came out here in their horses and carriages, and it's sort of cool to see a parking lot of horses and carriages all tied up.

00:24:30.720 It's like you're living in a cowboy western movie.

00:24:34.640 And I wanted to film that horse and carriage parking lot.

00:24:38.480 I asked permission.

00:24:39.260 They said, please no.

00:24:40.140 So just take my word for it.

00:24:42.900 We are helping people that no one else has helped or would help or frankly could help.

00:24:48.700 And I wish I could share with you their words to me directly of how much this help means.

00:24:54.900 You're just going to have to take my word for it and Mark's word for it because they will not go on TV.

00:24:59.200 And I think this is the work the Democracy Fund was built to do, helping people who cannot help themselves, and in this case, who cannot even speak for themselves.

00:25:09.060 It's one of the most unusual cases the Democracy Fund has taken.

00:25:12.440 All right, there's two ways you can help.

00:25:14.440 I am furious about this.

00:25:18.220 I'm going to put that aside for a minute.

00:25:19.760 If you want to do something about it, there's two ways to help.

00:25:23.000 One way is to help us do our reports.

00:25:25.560 We schlep out here.

00:25:27.740 We're devoting serious editorial resources to this battle, as you know.

00:25:31.920 You can go to AmishReports.com if you want to help our journalism.

00:25:38.020 And if you want to help the legal battle, which I put it to you is related but even more important,

00:25:42.940 what is the website for the Democracy Fund campaign to help the Amish?

00:25:46.740 I think it's HelpTheAmish.com.

00:25:50.640 Yeah, that'll do it if you want to help out TDF.

00:25:53.760 Like I said, we're going to go to the bitter end.

00:25:56.040 If you donate to the Democracy Fund, CareOfHelpTheAmish.com, you actually get a charitable tax receipt.

00:26:02.160 It's a bona fide civil liberties charity.

00:26:05.140 And this is so spot on for the mandate.

00:26:08.480 Mark, I'm grateful to you.

00:26:09.680 And like me, I think you enjoy coming out here just for a little bit of change of pace from the big city.

00:26:14.480 Maybe you pick up some pickles or some jam.

00:26:17.260 It is a flashback to a simpler time.

00:26:20.240 These people have been thrown into a very complex situation, and you're helping them.

00:26:23.440 Yeah, I don't mind coming out.

00:26:25.380 I mean, it's definitely different communicating with people.

00:26:28.900 You have to explain what a trial is, et cetera, et cetera, but it sharpens my lawyering skills.

00:26:32.980 Well, you have to be good with client communications.

00:26:37.820 I mean, a doctor would call it a bedside manner.

00:26:40.500 For a lawyer, I mean, these are smart people, but they're not savvy, if you understand the difference.

00:26:46.680 All right, there it is.

00:26:47.340 I'm in Chatsworth County.

00:26:48.320 A beautiful day.

00:26:49.340 I am going to slowly start making my way back to the city.

00:26:51.940 You probably saw that one horse and carriage go by.

00:26:54.360 That's how it is out here.

00:26:56.580 And then one day, the brutal fist of government came into their idyllic lives and changed everything.

00:27:02.400 But we're fighting back.

00:27:03.620 I want you to help.

00:27:04.880 You can help on the journalism side with AmishReports.com.

00:27:08.320 By the way, you should go there anyways to see all our reports.

00:27:10.840 We've got like 10 of them.

00:27:12.360 And if you want to actually, where the rubber hits the road, then go to HelpTheAmish.com.

00:27:17.460 That's the Democracy Fund website.

00:27:19.320 You know what's so interesting?

00:27:20.420 I mean, this is a huge story.

00:27:23.620 Think about it.

00:27:24.260 I mean, it's got everything.

00:27:25.620 It's got government abuse.

00:27:26.860 It's got civil liberties.

00:27:27.760 It's got the pandemic.

00:27:28.860 And it's got this unique people, the Amish.

00:27:32.220 So why is it that this story has been put in the memory hole by the regime media?

00:27:38.500 I mean, our videos have gone viral about it.

00:27:40.700 It's not like the rest of the media doesn't know.

00:27:42.900 They just simply refuse to tell this story because they're opposed to the Amish.

00:27:48.180 Is that what it is?

00:27:48.880 Because they're old-fashioned Christians? 0.99

00:27:50.580 Perhaps?

00:27:51.240 Because they love the Arrive Can app and they love the lockdowns?

00:27:54.520 I don't know.

00:27:55.440 But there's something disgraceful about the way the regime media has ignored this story.

00:27:59.980 Amishreports.com for all your news on it.

00:28:02.840 For now, I'm Ezra Levant in Chatsworth.

00:28:06.000 Hopefully, we'll have a happy ending to this story in the year ahead.

00:28:10.120 On behalf of all of us at Rebel, to you at home, good night.

00:28:13.820 And keep fighting for freedom.

00:28:14.780 Breaking news.

00:28:23.120 Mark Carney has banned Rebel News journalists from reporting from the G7 summit this weekend in Alberta.

00:28:30.800 So we have just filed an emergency lawsuit against him with the Federal Court of Canada.

00:28:37.160 That's the same court that slapped down Trudeau's repeated attempts to censor Rebel News.

00:28:43.480 You can see our new lawsuit for yourself by going to our special website, letusreport.com.

00:28:50.760 At that site, you'll find four short documents.

00:28:54.800 Number one, a letter to Mark Carney's Attorney General, Sean Fraser.

00:28:59.280 Number two, a letter to the Federal Court explaining our need for an emergency hearing tomorrow.

00:29:05.480 Part three, the emergency lawsuit itself called a notice of application.

00:29:10.540 And part four, the facts of the case as outlined in an affidavit by Sheila Gunn-Reid, our chief reporter.

00:29:16.920 I really encourage you to look at those documents at letusreport.com for yourself.

00:29:22.440 They're actually really short.

00:29:23.660 The letter to the Attorney General is just one sentence long.

00:29:26.440 Basically, here's the lawsuit.

00:29:28.280 The letter to the court is a page and a half.

00:29:31.020 The key sentences from that are these.

00:29:33.940 We are writing to make an informal request for a special hearing.

00:29:37.160 To have the application for an injunction heard remotely, if possible, and in the alternative in Calgary.

00:29:42.720 And decided before the end of business on Friday, June 13, 2025.

00:29:48.940 And this, there is significant urgency to having the injunction heard prior to the commencement of the summit.

00:29:55.380 The applicants will be significantly prejudiced and will suffer irreparable harm if the motion hearing is delayed.

00:30:01.340 We note that the applicant, Rebel News, has been granted urgent sitting dates in similar injunction applications, resulting in the granting of mandatory injunctions against the Leader's Debate Commission.

00:30:13.100 As in, we need to have an emergency hearing ASAP or we will miss the G7 and we'll never get that opportunity again.

00:30:21.320 And by the way, this delay is 100% part of Carney's scheme because we applied months ago.

00:30:28.180 He wanted to wait until the last minute.

00:30:29.380 Now, the meat of this lawsuit, as I mentioned, is called the Notice of Application, which is actually quite short, too.

00:30:36.020 These key sentences are the ones that I think of as the meat of it.

00:30:41.000 Paragraph 17, the accreditation refusal is unreasonable and unlawful, is contrary to natural justice, and lacks procedural fairness.

00:30:52.180 The applicants will suffer irreparable harm as a result of the accreditation refusal.

00:30:55.960 18, additionally, failing or refusing to grant media accreditation to Ms. Gunn and Mr. Fouzard by way of the accreditation refusal is contrary to the principles of Section 2B of the Charter, which guarantees freedom of the press.

00:31:11.020 That's the thing about Carney and his reheated leftovers from Justin Trudeau's government.

00:31:16.420 They just don't care about civil liberties.

00:31:19.340 I mean, these are the people who invoked a form of martial law because some truckers were honking their horns.

00:31:25.840 I mean, these people have no patience for opposition or criticism.

00:31:29.440 That's why they hate rebel news.

00:31:30.660 And finally, here's Sheila's affidavit, which is the fourth document on LettusReport.com.

00:31:36.980 It outlines the facts, including how we complied with all accreditation requirements long ago.

00:31:43.440 Carney was simply waiting until the last minute to block us.

00:31:47.060 Sheila's affidavit is seven pages of text, plus a few dozen pages with copies of key documents she refers to.

00:31:54.620 So here's the highlight in my mind.

00:31:57.220 And by the way, Mr. Fouzard refers to our videographer, Sid, who was also banned from attending the G7 summit.

00:32:05.460 So here's some of Sheila's sworn statement.

00:32:07.620 She said,

00:32:08.060 There is no reason to deny Mr. Fouzard's accreditation or my own.

00:32:30.980 We meet the requirements set out in the information published by Global Affairs.

00:32:35.400 There is no basis to refuse or fail to provide accreditation.

00:32:39.340 Mr. Fouzard and I, on behalf of Rebel News, seek to promote, cover, and document the summit

00:32:43.900 and seek to be accredited as media representatives and journalists for that purpose.

00:32:48.840 Mr. Fouzard and I satisfy the accreditation requirements published by Global Affairs

00:32:52.800 and completed the registration forms prior to June 1st.

00:32:56.540 If Global Affairs, that's the Foreign Affairs Department, fails or refuses to grant Mr. Fouzard

00:33:03.020 and I media accreditation, we will be unable to report on important international issues

00:33:07.300 and events that occur at the summit.

00:33:09.600 I believe that Rebel News and its audience will suffer irreparable harm if Mr. Fouzard's

00:33:14.400 and my accreditation are not granted to attend the summit.

00:33:18.560 You know, this really is like deja vu all over again.

00:33:21.240 This is the third time the Liberal government has tried to ban us from attending important events.

00:33:27.200 In 2019, Trudeau's hand-picked debates commission banned us from covering the leaders' debates,

00:33:31.760 but the federal court struck that down as illegal and unconstitutional,

00:33:35.980 saying Trudeau had violated our charter rights.

00:33:38.600 In 2021, Trudeau's debate commission tried a second time and incurred the wrath of the federal court again.

00:33:45.660 Well, here we are for a third time, but this time it's Mark Carney's decision.

00:33:49.740 And, incredibly, he hates freedom of the press and freedom of speech even more than Trudeau did.

00:33:54.760 I didn't think that was possible.

00:33:56.380 Now, I don't know if you remember, but the last time I personally spoke with Mark Carney directly

00:34:00.660 was on the streets of Davos in Switzerland at the World Economic Forum's annual get-together.

00:34:06.900 You know Rebel News covers that every year.

00:34:08.980 So, this was right after Chrystia Freeland's bodyguards had arrested and assaulted David Menzies

00:34:15.800 for asking her a question. Carney said he disagreed with that arrest.

00:34:20.820 He told me that being in public life meant answering tough questions.

00:34:25.220 He said that to us, Rebel News. Take a look.

00:34:28.180 This is Canada. You could have him arrested.

00:34:30.560 Did you see that? Your rival, Chrystia Freeland, had one of our reporters arrested. 0.99

00:34:34.260 I don't think she did. I think the-

00:34:35.740 She didn't say a word against it.

00:34:37.260 If the police tried to arrest me-

00:34:39.280 It was the wrong thing. It was absolutely the wrong thing.

00:34:42.400 Well, thank you for saying that.

00:34:43.440 I won't-

00:34:43.540 Look, freedom of the press. Look, I've been a public figure in Canada, been a public figure in the UK.

00:34:52.360 I know you got to answer tough questions. And you guys, you know, you asked tough questions, and that's fair.

00:34:56.400 Yeah, it looks like that was a lie, because here we are, barely a year later, and he's banning our reporters from attending.

00:35:04.300 So we're going to go to court again. I hope we'll win.

00:35:07.540 But Carney and the liberals don't take chances.

00:35:09.900 I mean, last time, the liberals sent literally seven government lawyers to fight us.

00:35:15.880 You know, money's no object for them. They just borrow more, don't they?

00:35:19.640 I'll expect they'll need a bigger courtroom this time.

00:35:22.220 If you can help us crowdfund this emergency lawsuit, please do.

00:35:26.340 Go to letusreport.com. That's the same website where all our documents are.

00:35:30.860 Look, this whole thing is so un-Canadian. Banning journalists.

00:35:34.420 That's what dictatorships do. Not democracies at a meeting of the great democracies.

00:35:40.080 That's what the G7 is. It's supposed to be a place of democracies.

00:35:43.960 That's why they kicked Russia out. 0.82

00:35:45.260 So please click on letusreport.com to see our lawsuit documents and to help us crowdfund our emergency legal challenge.

00:35:55.620 I hope we get our day in court tomorrow.

00:35:58.620 That'll be super fast.

00:36:00.300 Because really, the freedom of all independent media itself is on trial.

00:36:04.560 It's not just us.

00:36:06.100 Look, I appreciate your help very much.

00:36:08.280 You know, where's the Canadian Association of Journalists?

00:36:10.380 Where's Canadian Journalists for Free Expression?

00:36:12.400 Where's the Canadian Civil Liberties Association?

00:36:15.340 Nowhere.

00:36:15.920 They no longer believe in freedom of speech, but we do.

00:36:20.340 We applied to get accreditation for several journalists, and every single one of them was banned.

00:36:25.860 I'm starting to think maybe Carney's a bit worried about the questions we might ask him.

00:36:30.200 We won in court last time, and we won before that.

00:36:34.140 But I expect the liberals to fight even more viciously now, especially since Carney has a minority government.

00:36:39.600 So he really doesn't want any pesky questions from Rebel News.

00:36:43.620 If you can help us, please do.

00:36:45.780 Go to letusreport.com.

00:36:47.560 You can read the lawsuit right there and help chip in.

00:36:51.420 Sure, this is about Rebel News reporters and my friends, Sheila and Sid.

00:36:55.220 But this is about something bigger, too, like freedom of the press for all Canadians

00:36:59.260 and telling a prime minister that he's our servant, not our master.

00:37:02.940 I predict that not a single bailout journalist will care that we're banned.

00:37:08.560 The CBC was probably thrilled about it.

00:37:10.660 They might have even asked for us to be banned.

00:37:13.060 A lot of journalists will like the fact that we're silenced.

00:37:15.640 But how can journalists taking money from Carney, like the CBC, not be a sign of political bias in itself?

00:37:23.620 Are we more independent than every one of them?

00:37:27.360 Of course we are.

00:37:28.360 Go to letusreport.com and I'll talk to you tomorrow from court.

Rebel News Podcast - June 13, 2025

EZRA LEVANT ｜ Democracy Fund lawyer shares update on Amish facing ArriveCAN penalties

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