Rebel News Podcast - EZRA LEVANT ｜ Trudeau's Supreme Court chief judge says you’d better not criticize him — he’s 'warning' you

00:00:00.000 Tonight, Trudeau's Supreme Court chief judge says you better not criticize him.

00:00:20.440 He's warning you.

00:00:21.940 It's June 6th, and this is The Ezra LeVant Show.

00:00:25.340 He's ready for freedom!

00:00:28.260 Shame on you.

00:00:29.280 You censorious thug!

00:00:40.020 Do you know how much money the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada makes every year?

00:00:46.060 Well, it's right there in the Judges Act, the law, Section 9.

00:00:51.660 I will put it on the screen here.

00:00:52.700 You can see it.

00:00:53.320 But the yearly salaries of the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada are as follows.

00:00:59.940 A, the chief justice of Canada, 403,800 judges.

00:01:06.980 And the eight puny judges, $373,900 each.

00:01:14.340 Puny is actually how you pronounce that word.

00:01:17.000 It has a similar meaning, a judge of the lower rank.

00:01:21.100 So the chief judge in Canada makes north of 400 grand.

00:01:24.960 And then there's just expenses and there's perks and the general luxury that comes from the job.

00:01:30.200 By comparison, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister makes $379,000.

00:01:38.860 Not as much.

00:01:40.420 He makes just under $190,000 for being an MP.

00:01:44.080 The same for every MP.

00:01:46.040 But then he makes the same again for being the PM.

00:01:49.820 So the Supreme Court judge makes more money than the prime minister.

00:01:53.020 And I'd say he wields enormous power, in some ways more power than Trudeau.

00:02:00.020 The Supreme Court can strike down a law.

00:02:03.540 The judges can last much longer than an elected politician.

00:02:07.680 And of course, the most momentous decisions in Canada are not made by our elected legislators,

00:02:14.800 let alone decided in something as democratic as a referendum.

00:02:17.620 They're decided by nine obscure judges that 99% of Canadians couldn't recognize or name.

00:02:25.620 Abortion, gay marriage, legal rights for foreign citizens, legal rights for terrorists. 0.98

00:02:33.280 No democracy decided that, just the judiciary.

00:02:37.400 And just last week, sorry, that last year, pardon me,

00:02:42.160 the Supreme Court came within one vote of criminalizing a comedian's jokes.

00:02:50.280 Remember that case?

00:02:51.660 It was a 5-4 ruling in favor of Mike Ward.

00:02:55.960 That's a comedian in Quebec and his right to make fun of a disabled kid in a comedy sketch.

00:03:02.420 Now, I'm not a fan of making fun of disabled kids.

00:03:05.740 But I'm a lot more scared of a government, which is what a Supreme Court is,

00:03:13.400 that tells me what jokes can be said and what jokes can't be said.

00:03:18.000 A lot more scared of that than what some comedian gets up to in some 18-plus nightclub.

00:03:25.420 Seriously, expect the next free speech court ruling to go 5-4 against freedom.

00:03:31.680 Our court has been steadily getting worse and worse every year.

00:03:35.740 And that's on the judges.

00:03:37.240 Now, I blame Stephen Harper for that, in part.

00:03:39.640 You know, he never took Supreme Court appointments seriously when he was prime minister.

00:03:43.380 Five of the nine current judges in the Supreme Court were put there by him,

00:03:47.980 including some of the absolute worst ones, the chief judge of the Supreme Court today,

00:03:53.280 the guy making $400K.

00:03:54.500 His name is Richard Wagner.

00:03:56.460 Stephen Harper put him on the bench,

00:03:58.000 and Justin Trudeau promoted him to chief justice.

00:04:01.380 Wagner took over from the disgraced judge Beverly McLaughlin,

00:04:06.600 who held that post for 17 years, overseeing its radical lurch to the authoritarian left.

00:04:13.340 We later found out that Trudeau regarded McLaughlin as a go-to judge for fixing political problems.

00:04:20.580 Very troubling revelations about how in the pocket she was of Trudeau,

00:04:25.860 and worse, that corrupt aide, Gerald Butts, remember him?

00:04:29.460 I don't know if you remember, she was asked to come in and write a helpful memo

00:04:34.300 explaining that it was entirely legally appropriate for the government to interfere

00:04:40.240 with the criminal prosecution of Trudeau's friends at SNC-Lavalin to stop their criminal trial.

00:04:46.160 That's how chummy Trudeau and Butts were with McLaughlin.

00:04:49.540 They thought they could ask her, and for good reason.

00:04:52.180 She is one of them, one of the elites.

00:04:55.520 And when she retired as Canada's chief judge, you know this,

00:04:58.700 she joined Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal.

00:05:02.680 Now, that actually sounds wonderful when she did it.

00:05:07.620 But then Xi Jinping, the Chinese communist dictator, crushed Hong Kong,

00:05:11.900 took it over, exterminated its civil liberties,

00:05:14.460 brought Chinese communist laws and policing into Hong Kong

00:05:18.840 and ended what was left of its Western freedoms.

00:05:22.380 Mass arrests, including mass arrests of opposition leaders and journalists.

00:05:28.880 Now, other judges who were on that same court resigned in protest.

00:05:34.540 They refused to give Xi Jinping moral cover.

00:05:37.580 They refused to stick around and whitewash it,

00:05:42.020 let alone be a part of it.

00:05:43.100 Not our Bev.

00:05:44.440 Not Beverly McLaughlin.

00:05:45.720 She loves it.

00:05:47.180 She loves the power.

00:05:48.620 She loves the prestige.

00:05:50.800 The perks, the pay.

00:05:52.240 She loves being on the winning side.

00:05:54.960 She is completely comfortable with staying on Xi Jinping's court.

00:06:00.220 Yeah, Houston, we have a problem.

00:06:02.900 She really is the worst.

00:06:04.620 Look at this.

00:06:05.440 Look at this here.

00:06:07.420 Fed regulations should kill websites that use words hurting democracy,

00:06:12.300 says retired Supreme Court Chief Justice McLaughlin.

00:06:15.760 Consequences ultimately would be to shut them down.

00:06:19.220 Yeah, so much for guardians of our freedoms.

00:06:22.400 Hey, good luck to Hong Kong with her on the bench there. 1.00

00:06:25.220 So much for the Charter of Rights.

00:06:27.260 Our judges are an embarrassment.

00:06:30.340 Look at this here from the Globe and Mail.

00:06:32.120 Remember, McLaughlin was the one who said Canada has committed a genocide against indigenous people.

00:06:39.440 She has never said that about China and its treatment of Tibet or the Uyghur Muslims, has she?

00:06:46.280 She hates us. 0.99

00:06:48.680 She loves Xi Jinping's China.

00:06:52.060 And that's the thing about our Supreme Court.

00:06:54.020 Do you think they're any less political than politicians in the House of Commons?

00:07:02.160 Do you really think they're morally or genetically different?

00:07:06.300 Why?

00:07:07.060 Because they dress up in fancy robes and make you call them my lord or my lady?

00:07:12.840 Do you think they're morally better than other people in other branches of government?

00:07:17.180 The courts are a branch of government.

00:07:18.940 They're just as government-y as a politician, just as political.

00:07:24.800 Except for one thing.

00:07:26.240 They don't have the political accountability.

00:07:28.400 At least in the United States, their judges go through a vigorous confirmation process.

00:07:33.480 Days and days of grilling, absolutely digging through their past rulings.

00:07:38.840 And even their past personal statements and personal conduct.

00:07:41.800 But we know everything about those judges.

00:07:44.460 And occasionally, judges are blocked from taking the position.

00:07:48.320 Or judges withdraw in embarrassment.

00:07:50.720 We don't have that here.

00:07:52.720 We just have the prime minister choosing someone, often a donor.

00:07:57.160 An hour or so of friendly questions in a highly controlled committee hearing.

00:08:01.700 And it's done.

00:08:02.840 There's not even a vote on it in parliament.

00:08:05.200 So, in America, the judges are political just like ours are.

00:08:11.000 The difference is, in America, they have political accountability at least one time when the judges are going in.

00:08:17.500 We never have it here.

00:08:18.680 Never.

00:08:19.700 But our courts are just as political as America's.

00:08:22.080 But look at this.

00:08:23.420 Look at this news here.

00:08:25.280 It's a story in Quebec's Le Devoir newspaper from April.

00:08:29.300 I'm going to read the headline in French because it's so much better than the translation.

00:08:32.920 And you can probably understand it.

00:08:35.080 Le juge en chef de Canada n'a pas oublié l'odeur de anarchy.

00:08:42.540 The chief judge of Canada has not forgotten the odor of anarchy.

00:08:48.460 He was talking about the truckers.

00:08:51.820 That's what he said.

00:08:53.760 I'm going to put the rest of the story through Google Translate and bring it in English for you.

00:08:57.800 What we have seen recently on Wellington Street here, that's in Ottawa, is a small beginning of anarchy where some people have decided to take other citizens hostage, to take the law into their hands, not to respect the mechanism.

00:09:15.380 I find that worrying, he says, in an exchange with Le Devoir, as the 40th anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms approaches.

00:09:23.680 Coups against the state, justice and democratic institutions, such as the one inflicted by protesters at the doors of the prime minister's office and the Privy Council.

00:09:36.580 Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada and the parliamentary press gallery between January 28th and Feb 21 must be strongly denounced by all figures in the country's power, says Mr. Wagner.

00:09:50.360 Oh, really? So there hasn't been any trial yet, by the way, no facts proven in court, just hype in the media, rumors mainly, much of which has been revealed as lies,

00:10:04.920 like the lie that there was an arson committed or the lie that there were weapons in the trucks.

00:10:11.220 I was there myself to call it a hostage taking is obscene and hysterical.

00:10:16.120 Did the judge even go? Or was he relying on the state broadcaster for the truth?

00:10:21.500 But the judge has made his judgment first.

00:10:25.120 No need to wait for a trial. It's like Alice in Wonderland. Trial comes last.

00:10:31.320 It must be strongly denounced by everyone, he says.

00:10:35.120 Oh, gee, I wonder if any trucker case comes before him, if they can expect a fair hearing.

00:10:41.780 I mean, he's just called them anarchist hostage takers who need to be denounced.

00:10:48.420 How can anyone have a fair trial when he's already told you his ruling?

00:10:53.060 And how can any lower judge be relied on to be objective and unbiased, too, knowing what their boss judge thinks?

00:11:00.960 This is why judges normally do not do interviews with journalists, at least not about cases that are still before the courts.

00:11:10.780 I wonder if this is why accused truckers have been given such brutal bail conditions,

00:11:16.260 like not able to travel, not able to say anything political in public, not being allowed on social media.

00:11:24.240 Of course it's because of this judge.

00:11:27.160 And look at this.

00:11:27.800 You have to be on the lookout.

00:11:30.800 We must denounce any circumstance that may defeat our principles, such as judicial independence, the role of law, institutions.

00:11:38.660 What does that mean?

00:11:39.820 I mean, it means he's a hypocrite.

00:11:43.840 He just violated judicial independence himself and the rule of law himself.

00:11:48.580 He just brought the institution of the Supreme Court into disrepute himself.

00:11:53.360 Do you still trust the Supreme Court?

00:11:55.100 I don't know if he ever did, but is your trust higher or lower now that he has weighed in on the truckers before trial?

00:12:03.380 Did he need to weigh in?

00:12:06.140 He's a master of the universe.

00:12:08.060 He gets paid more money than the prime minister.

00:12:11.620 His word becomes law.

00:12:14.320 He's godlike in that way.

00:12:16.120 Did he really feel the need to get into a grubby newspaper and swipe at the truckers?

00:12:23.060 He had some unfulfilled ambition maybe to be a journalist or a pundit or a politician?

00:12:28.760 Okay.

00:12:30.200 Fair enough.

00:12:31.000 Quit the bench then and get into the arena.

00:12:33.340 You know, his dad ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party.

00:12:35.980 Maybe he wants to do that for a living.

00:12:38.120 But you can't do both.

00:12:39.840 You can't run for the liberals and be the chief judge.

00:12:42.260 Make a decision.

00:12:43.040 Our friend Bruce Party, the constitutional lawyer and law professor, wrote about this scandal in the National Post the other day.

00:12:53.020 And I'm glad because I hadn't seen it reported in the English press.

00:12:58.200 Now, here's the article.

00:12:59.960 It's called Bruce Party, Supreme Court Undermined by Chief Justice Condemning Freedom Convoy.

00:13:05.940 Confidence in the judiciary depends on whether people perceive courts to be genuinely neutral, not merely within a narrow band of progressive consensus.

00:13:17.880 See, that's very polite and diplomatic.

00:13:21.300 That's a law professor talking.

00:13:23.340 The judge absolutely has to recuse himself from any matters touching on the truckers.

00:13:28.120 He probably should issue a statement retracting his words.

00:13:32.600 And, frankly, a bigger man would resign to fix the wound he's done to justice.

00:13:38.820 Everyone charged must be let go.

00:13:40.320 How can you have a fair trial now?

00:13:41.640 He's interfered in his own court system.

00:13:44.460 But he's a power seeker, as you can tell.

00:13:47.100 In fact, upon seeing this criticism, he reacted like a Trudeau liberal.

00:13:53.980 And what do liberals do when they get in trouble?

00:13:56.940 Well, they go to the CBC for some mop-up.

00:14:00.880 And so did this guy.

00:14:02.000 Here's a CBC story.

00:14:04.120 Chief Justice warns against political attacks on judicial independence.

00:14:09.060 What?

00:14:09.640 What?

00:14:09.960 What?

00:14:10.280 What?

00:14:10.560 Hang on.

00:14:11.380 He's the guy who just attacked judicial independence by prejudging a whole raft of cases that are before the lower courts.

00:14:18.380 But he's the one warning against politicization?

00:14:22.100 Only Trudeau, CBC state broadcaster, would write it that way with a straight face.

00:14:26.780 But look at the bottom of that tweet.

00:14:29.600 Who can reply?

00:14:30.940 People CBC Montreal mentioned can reply.

00:14:33.740 So the CBC is helping the judge by banning anyone from replying to the tweet as they normally would.

00:14:44.320 The CBC normally doesn't do this.

00:14:46.900 But they have done it here because he's a friend.

00:14:51.080 He's an ally.

00:14:51.720 He's part of the same club they are.

00:14:53.700 He's important to the ruling class.

00:14:55.360 He must be protected at all costs.

00:14:56.980 Who knows?

00:14:57.580 Maybe the judge himself even asked him.

00:15:00.260 Asked the CBC to do that.

00:15:01.720 He seems to be taking some liberties these days, doesn't he?

00:15:04.860 And apparently the judge thought his first interview with LeVar went so swimmingly that he would do another interview with CBC just to add to it.

00:15:15.060 And he'll need to do another one to clean this one up, too, I'm sure.

00:15:19.040 Pretty soon we're dealing with a grubby pundit and spin doctor.

00:15:23.120 But one who's not really that good at it, is he?

00:15:27.300 Here's the story.

00:15:29.480 Chief Justice warns against political attacks on judicial independence.

00:15:33.060 If Canadians lose faith in the justice system, what will happen?

00:15:36.320 Chief Justice Richard Wagner asks.

00:15:38.540 Yeah, he sure wants to find out, doesn't he?

00:15:41.820 He starts off rambling about the United States Supreme Court for some reason.

00:15:45.760 But then he says about Canada, quote,

00:15:47.140 We can never say to ourselves, we have judicial independence, we are in Canada, everything is fine, we have respect for the institutions.

00:15:55.240 No, we have to be on the lookout, he said.

00:15:58.100 Oh, is that his advice?

00:16:00.600 And as soon as an incident occurs that can attack judicial independence, we must react.

00:16:06.100 We must denounce.

00:16:07.660 Ho, ho, ho. 0.99

00:16:08.740 Easy, easy.

00:16:10.080 Who's we, by the way?

00:16:11.900 Who's we?

00:16:13.760 The Supreme Court?

00:16:15.400 Through a ruling?

00:16:16.260 I think it may be.

00:16:18.320 Everyone in the establishment, all his friends?

00:16:20.680 Or just him personally, the king of all he surveys, whenever he feels like it, like he did in Le Devoir, or like he's doing in CBC now.

00:16:28.280 Or whenever he feels like unburdening himself for the poorest to take notes.

00:16:33.120 He's going to denounce things.

00:16:34.860 What does he mean by denounce?

00:16:37.900 Courts don't usually denounce.

00:16:39.660 They say guilty or not guilty, or they meet how to fine or imprisonment.

00:16:45.460 What does he mean by denounce?

00:16:48.020 He says, it's not for judges judicial independence.

00:16:52.040 It's for citizens.

00:16:53.520 This is to ensure that citizens understand that when they come before the courts,

00:16:57.420 they will have access to an impartial and independent judge whose decision will not depend on an occult influence.

00:17:04.940 Okay, hang on.

00:17:05.400 The guy who smeared the truckers as anarchists and hostage takers, his words, he's worried that maybe judges don't seem independent?

00:17:15.080 Or rather, he's worried that those stupid little people won't understand things correctly.

00:17:20.480 And he says he's going to do this more and more until you understand correctly.

00:17:26.640 Let me quote.

00:17:27.320 Wagner said he knows he's taking a risk by communicating more openly and frequently with the public and by taking the court outside of Ottawa.

00:17:36.040 He said he still believes doing nothing would be riskier.

00:17:39.480 All right, so if I understand him correctly, he's going to condemn us without a trial outside the court system.

00:17:48.420 He's going to denounce us in his words.

00:17:50.260 So, like I say, he's a pundit now, grubby like you and me.

00:17:53.940 He's a politician now, except no one voted for him and no one can vote him out.

00:17:58.240 So, when a grubby pundit and politician that you can't vote out says you're an anarchist hostage taker and denounces you, what can you do in return?

00:18:09.920 The only thing I can think of in a liberal democracy is to speak out.

00:18:14.080 Since you can't vote him out, and since he obviously has no emotional self-control and very weak judgment, you criticize him in return.

00:18:23.900 But that's what he says he wants to stop.

00:18:28.320 That's what his warning is, according to the CBC.

00:18:31.740 It's right there in the headline.

00:18:32.860 Chief Justice warns against political attacks on judicial opponents.

00:18:38.320 I wrote some thoughts on this about the weekend.

00:18:42.380 So, now that he has revealed himself as a political activist by denouncing a peaceful political movement using Trudeau's language,

00:18:49.300 he doesn't like the fact that he is being criticized, as all politicians should be.

00:18:55.080 He wants it both ways.

00:18:56.540 Really, he wants censorship.

00:18:58.840 So, he'll prejudge the truckers.

00:19:00.980 And his predecessor, the disgraced Beverly McLaughlin, will denounce Canada for a genocide.

00:19:07.240 So, they'll not just be political, they'll be political extremists.

00:19:10.380 But if you little people dare to clap back, he'll call you a public danger.

00:19:15.880 It really is a team effort.

00:19:17.300 Politicians, journalists, and now judges want to smash us to pieces rhetorically.

00:19:22.040 You're all Nazis. 0.72

00:19:23.380 Legally, the Emergencies Act.

00:19:25.460 And politically, by God.

00:19:29.200 God forbid you trolls talk back to them. 0.79

00:19:34.200 Insurrection.

00:19:36.240 Insurrection.

00:19:37.260 Look at the elites all harmonizing here.

00:19:39.420 They're all rushing to the support of their political judge who is warning Canadians not to criticize him.

00:19:44.980 I note that the public safety minister's policy advisor, the liar who recommended the Emergencies Act, is thrilled.

00:19:52.460 Censorship is coming.

00:19:53.660 That one guy, Keith Torrey, there.

00:19:56.080 He works for the public safety minister.

00:19:59.660 Soon after I made those tweets, liberal MPs weighed in.

00:20:03.360 Here's one, that notorious house flipper in B.C., Tlaib Noumohamed. 0.99

00:20:08.240 Remember him?

00:20:09.420 How much have you profited on those 25 in the past decade?

00:20:14.020 I mean, I'm not, you know, I think it's important to talk about, I'm going to answer that question again.

00:20:21.280 So I'm going to be sure.

00:20:21.800 How much have you profited on those sales?

00:20:24.260 How much have you profited personally or business-wise on the sales of those 25 properties in the last decade?

00:20:44.420 While I can't give you an exact number, what I can tell you is that it is by no means the number that has been bid forward.

00:20:52.080 But what I can also tell you is that I am absolutely committed to any and all measures that we have put forward that would apply.

00:20:59.720 So he said seeking to delegitimize and politicize Canada's non-political institutions, whether our courts or the Bank of Canada, is a dangerous game.

00:21:13.320 And all Canadians who care about our democracy must speak out and put a stop to this before we reach the point of no return.

00:21:24.800 But, yeah, yeah, no, those institutions are deeply political.

00:21:29.820 The Bank of Canada just admitted they had failed.

00:21:32.900 They were printing money on demand to enable Justin Trudeau.

00:21:35.900 And we see the Supreme Court being politicized by its own judges.

00:21:39.840 But, you know, I guess I could be wrong.

00:21:42.040 Maybe they're both great institutions and in the best of health.

00:21:47.060 But this liberal MP doesn't think we can even have a debate on the question.

00:21:53.360 He said we must, quote, put a stop to this, this being any criticism.

00:22:00.640 That's what he wants to stop, the criticizing the government.

00:22:05.720 So it's all agreed then.

00:22:07.840 The Trudeau liberals want to censor you.

00:22:09.900 The Trudeau media wants to censor you.

00:22:15.260 And the Trudeau courts wants to censor you. 0.82

00:22:19.060 Maybe seize your bank accounts, too.

00:22:20.960 I don't know.

00:22:22.400 It's pretty much the whole direction here.

00:22:25.000 Oh, and they mean it, if you hadn't noticed.

00:22:30.460 Stay with us for more.

00:22:39.900 Look who's sitting next to me.

00:22:45.260 Absolutely unbelievable.

00:22:46.680 Have I got big news for you today.

00:22:48.520 Rebel News is delighted to announce Kerry Diot, the former member of parliament for Esmond

00:22:53.020 Edmonton-Griesbach, is joining us as our political correspondent and Alberta legislature bureau chief.

00:23:00.840 Kerry, it's good to have you.

00:23:01.880 It's good to be here, Ezra.

00:23:03.960 I've admired you guys for a long time.

00:23:06.940 I think everybody knows that the mainstream media has fallen down on its job occasionally, and I'm fond of pointing it out.

00:23:14.380 So I really have admired independent media like you guys, and I'm really proud to be here.

00:23:20.500 And we're going to have a lot of fun, and we're going to break a lot of stories, and it's just great to be part of this team.

00:23:28.260 Well, I'm thrilled to have you aboard.

00:23:30.480 You bring a lot of experience.

00:23:32.960 First of all, you were a journalist for years.

00:23:34.980 Then you were in the Edmonton City Council fighting the battles in that left-wing den.

00:23:40.420 And then you went to Ottawa for two terms.

00:23:44.380 You bring a lot to Rebel News.

00:23:46.340 A lot of our guys and gals are young, you know, citizen journalists in their 20s.

00:23:49.860 And I love their energy, and I love their style.

00:23:52.100 But there's something about having someone who's been there, done that, been a legislator, been – you know, I think you're going to bring something new to Rebel News.

00:24:02.180 I'm really excited about it.

00:24:03.660 Well, I am too, and it's full circle coming back to my journalism roots.

00:24:08.540 Well, tell me a little bit about some of the beats you plan to cover.

00:24:12.500 Obviously, it's in your title, Political Correspondent and Legislature Bureau Chiefs.

00:24:17.800 There's a lot cooking in Alberta itself with Jason Kenney stepping down.

00:24:22.640 That's a whole thing.

00:24:24.080 The federal conservative party from which you came, they're having a leadership.

00:24:28.300 This is the perfect time to hit the ground running.

00:24:30.200 Yeah.

00:24:30.360 Obviously, you've got the two leadership races going on.

00:24:34.680 You've got all kinds of stuff happening in the city of Edmonton, a very left-wing council.

00:24:41.600 And you've got some problems in the downtown.

00:24:45.580 You've got – it's a target-rich environment, I think.

00:24:50.260 And, you know, I was just talking earlier today.

00:24:53.100 It's not just the legislature in Edmonton.

00:24:56.140 There's the oil sands.

00:24:57.340 Edmonton's the gateway to the north.

00:24:59.140 There's indigenous issues.

00:25:01.360 There's environmentalists.

00:25:03.100 There's – you know, you expressed an interest in traveling to – for example, we just had folks at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

00:25:09.860 We love to send people to cover interesting stories like the UN Global Warming Conference.

00:25:14.360 It's not just Edmonton.

00:25:16.420 It's based in Edmonton, but really national and even international.

00:25:20.100 Yeah, absolutely.

00:25:21.120 When I was down in CPAC, I was covering it for another organization in Florida.

00:25:27.560 And I'll tell you, there was a lot of interest in the Freedom Convoy from Americans. 0.51

00:25:33.880 And Rebel News came up again and again and again.

00:25:37.420 And it was really interesting because, for once, all the Americans knew the name of our prime minister.

00:25:43.480 And it usually was followed by a very bad word after that.

00:25:48.300 But it shows you the scope of Rebel News and how it's gone worldwide.

00:25:55.700 It really has.

00:25:56.720 And the Trucker Convoy was – a lot of folks met us for the first time because we were really the folks who just had our cameras on, just showing it like it was.

00:26:04.860 I'm excited about that.

00:26:07.820 You've also got connections, though.

00:26:09.900 I mean, we don't have a lot of connections to folks in power.

00:26:14.040 We just don't.

00:26:15.060 We're more populist.

00:26:16.420 We're more grassroots.

00:26:17.360 But, you know, you've done two terms in Parliament.

00:26:20.160 You were on City Hall.

00:26:21.220 I think you've got sources.

00:26:23.400 Sources, some that will come on camera, some that won't, but they can give you tips.

00:26:27.100 I think you've got to be a pipeline for information.

00:26:29.900 Yes.

00:26:30.040 And I think people are more and more realizing that the mainstream media does not tell the whole story.

00:26:36.580 And that's certainly my pitch.

00:26:38.020 And it's certainly been my experience.

00:26:40.040 So I think I can reach out to a lot of these folks, a lot of people who I consider friends, a lot of people who are of various political stripes, and say, look, talk to me.

00:26:51.380 And let's get the full story out there.

00:26:53.740 I think that's more important now more than ever.

00:26:57.880 I think the last two years has eroded what little trust the media party had left.

00:27:03.360 But it's also eroded trust in most other institutions.

00:27:06.800 And I think that journalism can be an antidote to that if it's, you know, shine the light of public scrutiny.

00:27:13.780 I'm delighted you're with our team.

00:27:15.900 I think it's a great credit to us.

00:27:18.380 I mean, seriously, though.

00:27:19.540 I mean, I'm not just blowing sunshine at you.

00:27:22.020 You could have done a lot of things.

00:27:23.540 You could have joined a fancy government relations firm.

00:27:25.980 You could have, you know, with your experience and what you've done, and you could have gone a lot of places.

00:27:32.640 The fact that you went to Rebel News, it's a bit of an honor to us.

00:27:36.840 I mean, we've got great people who are new also.

00:27:39.640 But I think it's a vote of confidence in what we're doing.

00:27:42.240 I'm thrilled, and I'm grateful.

00:27:44.640 Well, I'm glad to be here.

00:27:46.420 And let's do some good journalism, and let's have a lot of fun.

00:27:50.180 Right on.

00:27:50.540 I think we'll do both.

00:27:51.240 There he is, Kerry Diot.

00:27:52.540 We've got our new political correspondent and Alberta Legislature Bureau Chief not too far away from where Sheila Gunn-Reed is based in northern Alberta.

00:28:00.880 And we have Daniel Day up there, too.

00:28:02.600 So we've got a little bit of a crew going on in northern Alberta.

00:28:05.640 I think it's going to be amazing.

00:28:07.440 And it's nice to have you pop by our world headquarters here.

00:28:10.380 There he is.

00:28:11.420 You won't want to miss a minute of what Kerry's up to.

00:28:14.480 Stay with us.

00:28:15.220 Your letters to me are next.

00:28:29.640 Hey, welcome back.

00:28:30.640 Your viewer mail, Clive Lewis, says over 200,000 people voted New Blue and Ontario Party.

00:28:35.860 That is actually a big number because, you know, another 200,000 would have voted for them, but were too afraid of Del Duca and Horwath to split the vote.

00:28:46.680 Yeah, it could be.

00:28:47.680 I mean, we'll never know what caused people to vote the way they did.

00:28:52.340 I guess you'd have to ask them.

00:28:53.520 I think the polls showed a conservative victory all along, so that would be the kind of time you would feel emboldened to vote for a smaller party on the right.

00:29:02.800 I don't think anyone really thought that Del Duca, the liberal, or Horwath, the NDP, were going to—like, I just don't think there was a mood that they were coming back.

00:29:12.940 Like I say, voter turnout was the lowest in history, so I don't think people were actually voting out of fear.

00:29:19.600 I think it's you have a split.

00:29:21.060 You split the factions, and you had a bunch of small parties, and so what's the point?

00:29:29.800 So I like all those guys.

00:29:31.020 I've interviewed every one of them.

00:29:32.980 But, you know, divided, we fall, united, we stand.

00:29:37.760 Earthly Newscast says elections should be 100% transparent.

00:29:41.280 I'm still not convinced that elections are not rigged.

00:29:44.060 Every voter and vote should be logged in a public database.

00:29:46.960 Well, I'm going to disagree with you there, because how could you have a secret vote, then?

00:29:52.720 You don't want people to have to publicly say who they're voting for, because if that was the case, they could be put under undue pressure.

00:30:01.780 The whole point of a vote is that it's secret.

00:30:03.840 Candace Lee says, I hope Ford isn't too proud of himself for his win.

00:30:10.700 Winning by default is not something I would be proud of.

00:30:14.160 Well, I don't think Ford has shame in particular.

00:30:17.640 I think he just believes in power, and he just got a new lease on power.

00:30:21.560 If anything, he's going to be emboldened, and even more worrisome are the thinkers and doers around him.

00:30:27.260 I don't think that Doug Ford really believes in much.

00:30:30.760 I think he literally does whatever the last person who talked to him tells him to do.

00:30:35.840 But I think the people around him have plenty of schemes, a lot of it for personal enrichment.

00:30:40.860 A lot of lobbyists are going to have a heyday.

00:30:44.180 Who knows?

00:30:45.440 Maybe it won't be as bad as if the new Democrats or liberals were elected.

00:30:50.120 But looking back over the last two years, I really can't see the difference.

00:30:53.820 Brutal lockdowns, emergency acts, persecuting Christian pastors.

00:30:59.840 Not as bad as in Alberta, but pretty bad, too.

00:31:02.740 Yeah, I really don't think there's a lot of good here.

00:31:06.380 But federally, that's got my hopes up.

00:31:08.860 The federal conservative party race continues to give me some hope.

00:31:12.360 My friends, that's the show for today.

00:31:14.140 Until tomorrow, on behalf of all of us here at Rebel World Headquarters, to you at home, good night.

00:31:18.620 And keep fighting for freedom.

00:31:20.900 And let me leave you with our video of the day.

00:31:23.480 You don't want to miss this one.

00:31:25.320 Adam Sos here for Rebel News.

00:31:27.220 And in just a few moments, I'm going to be joined by MLA for Cyprus Medicine Hat,

00:31:31.300 Drew Barnes, for a bit of an insider perspective on the political landscape here in Alberta.

00:31:36.300 We're also going to be talking about the looming and very front of mind UCP leadership race

00:31:42.380 that is well underway now with two candidates officially declared

00:31:45.840 and many more expected to throw their hats in the ring very soon.

00:31:49.660 All of those reports can be found at ucpleadership.com.

00:31:53.460 I wanted to get sort of into an insider's perspective on the sort of political landscape

00:31:58.160 in Alberta, particularly with Jason Kenney announcing that he'll be stepping down

00:32:02.680 and this new race.

00:32:04.140 But before I get into that, I want to ask a little bit about the fact that

00:32:08.020 you were sort of ejected from the UCP for daring to ask questions,

00:32:12.200 whether it be about his leadership, about COVID-19 restrictions.

00:32:15.400 On all those fronts, Todd Lowen also experienced the same fate,

00:32:19.640 very much a sentiment that people willing to speak out on that were being shown the door.

00:32:23.880 Many of those key issues you were sort of advising differently on,

00:32:26.980 you were advocating on behalf of your constituents,

00:32:29.440 likely contributed to Kenney being shown the door.

00:32:32.400 Why, first off, was Kenney not sort of willing to listen to those voices of reason?

00:32:36.280 You know, I can't speak for why he wasn't willing to do what he said.

00:32:40.740 Adam, thank you for talking to me today.

00:32:42.620 But he clearly said when I started to disagree,

00:32:44.940 and at times I did agree with some of the policy the government had,

00:32:47.640 especially when they had the COVID mandates regional.

00:32:50.820 He said he welcomed public disagreement and public debate,

00:32:53.760 but he obviously didn't.

00:32:55.400 And, you know, it's good in some ways that 49% of the UCP,

00:33:01.880 49% of his small club agreed with me that he wasn't servant leadership,

00:33:07.420 he wasn't the right kind of leadership in Alberta.

00:33:09.400 For us to be the freest and most prosperous place in North America,

00:33:12.280 we need different leadership.

00:33:14.660 While 51% of the vote passes the constitutional threshold of a majority,

00:33:21.340 it clearly is not adequate support to continue on as leader.

00:33:24.700 And that is why tonight I have informed the president of the party

00:33:28.960 of my intention to step down as leader of the United Conservative Party.

00:33:35.180 So, yeah, so what the Ottawa attitude, the top-down,

00:33:39.840 the lack of servant leadership,

00:33:41.180 particularly the lack of listening and engaging strong caucus members

00:33:44.980 who represent all Albertans led to his downfall,

00:33:48.540 and now it's absolutely time for change,

00:33:50.260 and real conservative, real economic freedom, individual opportunity change.

00:33:53.560 So I was actually at a town hall last night with Danielle Smith,

00:33:56.580 one of the candidates, and we'll get into that a little bit.

00:33:58.640 But she said that she very much hoped that unlike maybe the last race 0.99

00:34:02.660 where there was some division,

00:34:03.700 there was sort of the gene camp and the kenny camp,

00:34:05.680 now with so many people being involved in this leadership bid,

00:34:08.700 she's hoping that this time around the leadership

00:34:10.760 may actually be an opportunity for unification.

00:34:13.040 Do you think that's possible?

00:34:15.200 Yeah, I hope it is, you know, an opportunity for unification as well.

00:34:19.360 I hope good conservative ideas get discussed.

00:34:21.560 But, Adam, that's where they're offside already.

00:34:24.160 Number one problem is Jason Kenney should have went away.

00:34:27.120 We should have had an interim leader, an interim premier for a period of time.

00:34:31.840 Kenney still today has his thumbs on the scale.

00:34:34.460 The bias, the overreach into the leadership situation is so wrong,

00:34:39.040 it may be limiting who joins.

00:34:40.860 Look, we've only had, I think it's one person from Cabinet speak,

00:34:43.840 you know, come forward so far.

00:34:45.280 So absolutely, Jason Kenney's thumb on the scale is absolutely wrong,

00:34:49.460 and that's where it starts, that's why he has to go.

00:34:52.040 And do you think that there is a sort of an anti-freedom sentiment,

00:34:56.020 or at least not as pro-freedom a sentiment within the UCP,

00:34:59.960 given that it's supposed to be Alberta strong and free,

00:35:02.220 or do you think that's basically just coming from the top down?

00:35:05.400 Oh, I think it's just coming from the top down.

00:35:08.060 You know, where the membership is listened to, it is so grassroots,

00:35:12.000 and it's all about economic freedom, it's all about individual freedom,

00:35:14.740 individual opportunity, our civil liberties, so stepped on.

00:35:19.320 Hey, let's not forget, Jason Kenney, I think,

00:35:21.200 was the only leader in all North America that had pastors in jail,

00:35:25.120 fences around churches, you know, these kind of things.

00:35:29.480 And at times, you know, threatening an election, you know,

00:35:32.460 to keep caucus in line and those kind of things.

00:35:35.020 No, no, he lost track so badly of the fact that this is about Albertans.

00:35:40.460 It's about the 4.4 million of us who work hard, pay our taxes, and take risk.

00:35:44.860 And the fact that, you know, when we weren't listened to,

00:35:47.500 we being the 60-some MLAs, the 30 backbench or the non-cabinet MLAs,

00:35:53.480 when we weren't listened to, that hurt all Albertans.

00:35:56.220 And again, Kenney, you know, paid the price for that.

00:35:58.720 And the number one thing he needs to do now is move on, resign today.

00:36:01.560 Let's go back and get it right.

00:36:03.060 And let's have a new interim premier,

00:36:05.640 and let's have a leadership race without Jason Kenney's thumbs on the scale.

00:36:09.420 So once Jason Kenney is out of the picture,

00:36:13.120 some have expressed concern that it's going to be the same old people

00:36:16.200 like Jason Copping, Tyler Shander,

00:36:18.340 some of these people who had their hands all over these restrictions

00:36:21.020 are still going to be part of the party.

00:36:22.720 Do you believe that they can sort of be reformed,

00:36:25.020 or do you think that they were just being sort of pressured?

00:36:26.940 How do you think the UCP can truly move forward,

00:36:29.340 and is it beyond just the leader?

00:36:31.200 Well, I'll say this.

00:36:32.040 First of all, it's up to Albertans to decide,

00:36:34.180 and grassroots should have total input on this.

00:36:36.540 I, too, though, am concerned that those that were on the inside

00:36:39.620 that didn't have the courage or the ability to speak up,

00:36:42.340 or else agreed with all the policies,

00:36:44.080 and the way that I was limited in my ability to speak,

00:36:47.520 I am concerned if we don't get some new voices as well

00:36:49.820 and have a chance for that to be heard.

00:36:51.780 But again, Adam, that's why Jason Kenney has to go away.

00:36:54.540 A lot of people aren't going to step up

00:36:56.400 and put their name forward, you know,

00:36:58.940 financially or personally or time-wise support people,

00:37:02.020 when Jason Kenney, the Premier of Alberta,

00:37:04.720 who's on a short timeline now,

00:37:06.720 but still controls that $62 billion he spends a year.

00:37:10.000 Of course, government's too big in this province,

00:37:11.420 but its overreach is huge.

00:37:13.600 And again, until he goes away,

00:37:15.820 this system is not going to be as inclusive

00:37:18.760 and as fulsome as it could be.

00:37:20.680 So on the note of sort of these new faces coming along,

00:37:24.040 maybe some familiar faces as well,

00:37:25.900 the first person to declare is Danielle Smith.

00:37:28.680 In one of her first conversations,

00:37:29.840 she actually said it'd be great to see you run.

00:37:32.100 But what have you heard about her sort of bid?

00:37:35.320 And do you have any thoughts

00:37:36.520 on her campaign for the leadership?

00:37:37.880 Well, again, it'd be up to Albertans to decide,

00:37:40.380 it'd be up to UCP members to decide.

00:37:43.060 I've been saying to all Albertans,

00:37:44.460 everybody spend 15 minutes a month from now on

00:37:46.880 being involved in politics,

00:37:48.600 five minutes for your country,

00:37:49.940 five minutes for your province,

00:37:50.980 five minutes for your municipality.

00:37:52.300 What a better way to start?

00:37:53.480 Buy a UCP membership and pick who you like the most.

00:37:56.920 But as the last 2012 Wild Roser

00:38:01.060 that was elected in 2012,

00:38:03.540 it's interesting to see.

00:38:05.360 You know, we had a huge opportunity back then

00:38:07.380 that didn't come to fruition.

00:38:09.380 It was unfortunate.

00:38:10.880 And I'm looking forward to seeing

00:38:12.840 what Danielle puts into the leadership race.

00:38:15.980 And I'm looking forward to seeing

00:38:16.780 what others do as well.

00:38:17.900 Speaking of others,

00:38:18.640 Todd Lowen, a fellow MLA,

00:38:20.640 kind of showed the door for being principled

00:38:22.740 very much along the lines with yourself.

00:38:24.540 He is the other person who at this point

00:38:26.800 is officially declared.

00:38:28.280 What can you say about your colleague?

00:38:29.680 Well, lots of good things to say about Todd,

00:38:31.360 for sure.

00:38:32.260 Hard worker, consistent conservative.

00:38:34.960 Spoke up strong against Jason Kenney's overreach

00:38:37.780 in the same way that I did.

00:38:39.940 So I'm looking forward to hearing

00:38:41.540 what he develops and talks about as his ideas.

00:38:44.260 Now, I personally think that Alberta

00:38:45.580 needs its own written constitution.

00:38:47.520 We need meaningful citizen initiative referendum.

00:38:50.800 We need meaningful recall legislation.

00:38:53.620 And like the Conservative Party of Canada,

00:38:55.520 we need meaningful reform

00:38:57.200 so we can hold our leadership accountable.

00:38:59.820 I hope Todd starts to talk

00:39:00.980 about some of those things.

00:39:02.600 Now, there are obviously no one else

00:39:04.700 formally declared yet,

00:39:05.760 but there are some names we clearly know about

00:39:07.580 beyond Brian Jean.

00:39:09.700 And I mean, maybe comment on Brian Jean,

00:39:11.340 but along with Brian Jean,

00:39:12.440 are there any other sort of interesting names

00:39:14.020 that you've heard of around the discussion?

00:39:15.260 Well, again, I see what happens with Brian.

00:39:18.740 He had his chance to be in the public eye

00:39:20.900 and let's see if he develops his ideas

00:39:22.960 and thoughts further.

00:39:25.120 I've been hearing about a couple

00:39:27.340 of the other cabinet ministers

00:39:28.500 from Rajan Suwani,

00:39:30.540 who comes from a nice Calgary base

00:39:32.560 and an oil and gas background.

00:39:34.080 Let's see what ideas she presents. 0.84

00:39:37.080 Rebecca Schultz is another one,

00:39:39.120 whose name I keep hearing about quite a bit.

00:39:41.420 Let's hear what she presents.

00:39:43.660 That's just it.

00:39:45.760 As long as Jason Kenney is still around,

00:39:47.860 we haven't heard any of the ideas

00:39:49.700 that these people are going to bring to the table

00:39:51.500 to make Alberta free and prosperous

00:39:54.720 and the most economic freedom place

00:39:57.000 that it could be.

00:39:57.920 Travis Taves, the finance minister,

00:39:59.420 is the other name who's registered.

00:40:01.380 I am so surprised that he hasn't come forward

00:40:03.720 and said, hey, let's end the 2% small business tax.

00:40:07.000 Manitoba and Saskatchewan did exactly that.

00:40:09.280 It's $160 million a year

00:40:11.100 that would allow small businesses

00:40:14.620 to get back on their feet,

00:40:15.780 allow them to be more competitive.

00:40:17.840 Oil and gas royalties,

00:40:19.320 $3 billion last year,

00:40:20.760 $13 billion this year,

00:40:21.980 maybe as high as $24 billion next year.

00:40:24.140 And he is saying things like,

00:40:25.580 maybe we'll reduce the taxes.

00:40:28.360 Ah, let's go back to our 10% flat tax and lower.

00:40:31.480 Let's give families and individuals

00:40:33.500 as much economic freedom as possible.

00:40:35.320 Now, will the constituents of Cypress Medicine Hat

00:40:39.000 have Drew Barnes moving forward as an independent

00:40:41.760 or potentially as a member of the UCP?

00:40:44.060 And is there any chance that that says leader of the UCP?

00:40:46.920 Thanks for that question.

00:40:48.120 First of all,

00:40:48.480 I'm so grateful to represent Cypress Medicine Hat

00:40:50.400 for three terms.

00:40:51.840 A lot of my constituents are talking to me,

00:40:54.300 asking me to run for leader of the UCP.

00:40:56.460 I'm not going to do anything in that vein

00:40:58.260 until I see what the rules are.

00:41:00.080 The fact that the Leadership Selection Committee

00:41:03.540 has been appointed from the board,

00:41:05.580 the fact that to my understanding,

00:41:07.420 all the people on that committee,

00:41:08.800 none of them were made up

00:41:10.100 of those 30 or 35 constituency presidents

00:41:12.900 that wanted leadership review and wanted change.

00:41:15.960 So is Jason Kenney directing them?

00:41:19.040 I don't know,

00:41:20.020 but I got to see what the rules are.

00:41:22.780 A lot of my constituents

00:41:24.080 have asked me to run as an independent.

00:41:26.360 They like the idea that I was able to speak up

00:41:28.540 on their behalf independently

00:41:30.300 and at times loudly,

00:41:32.060 and thanks to you for doing that.

00:41:33.820 I've also been talking to groups

00:41:35.260 like the Wild Rose Party.

00:41:37.580 You know,

00:41:38.140 I looked at the Ontario election last night

00:41:40.480 where the third party groups

00:41:41.900 didn't do all that well,

00:41:43.400 but back in 2012,

00:41:45.160 back in 2015,

00:41:46.700 we had a strong Wild Rose,

00:41:48.600 rural focus party

00:41:49.800 that was here for families,

00:41:51.840 economic freedom,

00:41:52.740 individual opportunity.

00:41:54.160 So I'm exploring that as well

00:41:56.120 and seeing what's out there.

00:41:57.480 And first and foremost,

00:41:58.880 talking to my wife and my family.

00:42:00.420 Awesome.

00:42:00.940 Well, we look forward to any updates

00:42:01.980 potentially on that front.

00:42:03.320 Drew Barnes,

00:42:03.760 MLA for Cypress Medicine Hat.

00:42:05.080 Thanks so much for taking this time

00:42:06.380 and speaking with us.

00:42:07.260 And for everyone at home,

00:42:08.400 I want to thank you so much for tuning in.

00:42:09.960 For Rebel News,

00:42:11.000 I'm Adam Sos.

00:42:11.680 All right.

00:42:12.480 Good night.

00:42:14.240 Good night.

00:42:15.160 Good light.

00:42:16.480 Good night.

00:42:17.540 Bye.

00:42:18.300 All right.

00:42:18.720 Good night.

00:42:19.460 Good night.

00:42:20.660 Good night.

00:42:21.660 Good night.

00:42:21.840 Good night.

00:42:22.840 Good night.

00:42:23.840 Good night.

00:42:25.260 Good night.

00:42:26.400 Good night.

00:42:27.500 Good night.

00:42:27.920 Good night.

00:42:27.980 Good night.

00:42:29.040 Good night.

00:42:29.180 Good night.

00:42:29.380 Good night.

00:42:29.620 Good night.

00:42:30.540 Good night.

00:42:31.540 Good night.

00:42:32.620 Good night.

00:42:32.840 Good night.

00:42:33.460 Good night.

00:42:33.600 Good night.

00:42:34.260 Good night.

00:42:35.340 Good night.

00:42:36.360 Good night.

00:42:36.700 Good night.

00:42:37.820 Good night.

00:42:38.340 Good night.

Rebel News Podcast - June 07, 2022

EZRA LEVANT ｜ Trudeau's Supreme Court chief judge says you’d better not criticize him — he’s 'warning' you

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