Rebel News Podcast - September 04, 2025


SHEILA GUNN REID ｜ Indigenous activists face legal threats for demanding transparency in government


Episode Stats


Length

39 minutes

Words per minute

169.9793

Word count

6,759

Sentence count

424

Harmful content

Misogyny

5

sentences flagged

Hate speech

6

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Jennifer Laywitz is a former conservative staffer and a member of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan. She was among dozens of people hit with cease and desist letters after posing serious questions about the nation s governance. The legal threat letter that she received accused Laywitz of harassing the leadership of the nation.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Saskatchewan Métis activists are facing legal threats for demanding transparency
00:00:18.560 in their own government. I'm Sheila Gunn-Reed and you're watching The Gunn Show.
00:00:30.000 I say that processes and structures are put in place for a reason. If you are willing and ready to come and provide a healthy conversation that is positive and not so toxic, then yeah, everybody is welcome.
00:00:54.340 Co-chair of the M&S Ethics Committee, Brennan Marasty, says online debates have shifted from discussion to toxic attacks on employees.
00:01:03.640 On August 25th, the nation released a statement saying the Provincial Métis Council passed a motion to issue cease and desist letters to those making false, harmful and derogatory posts targeting M&S staff.
00:01:17.980 Marasty says he believes it was the right decision.
00:01:20.520 And as a government, I stand by our decision and the support of our staff to protect and be safe and feel safe because they continue to work around the clock.
00:01:30.760 Online, many posts question why M&S is spending money on legal notices against its own citizens instead of investing in them.
00:01:38.960 Marasty says this does not take away from the services and support the nation provides.
00:01:43.660 We have budgets set aside for delivery of programs and services and nothing has been halted or affected by this process.
00:01:52.220 We continue to deliver the real results for our citizens across the board and we will continue to do that while we deal with the legal matters at hand.
00:02:00.840 Jennifer Laywitz, a Korean Métis social media creator and APTN political pundit, received a cease and desist letter.
00:02:08.080 She says the letters create barriers for citizens who want to be meaningfully involved in their government and ask tough questions of leaders.
00:02:16.500 And to create more barriers through the legal process is hard.
00:02:20.900 You know, a lot of Indigenous people do not have the extra funds or money or even desire to want to fight more systems and to hire legal when we're raising kids and we're trying to be entrepreneurs and we're trying to just survive.
00:02:32.780 Métis lawyer Tyler Gervais also received a letter and says he has been banned from attending M&S government meetings.
00:02:41.160 He says this is unfair to youth who want to become involved with the nation.
00:02:45.580 To tell us to sit at home and to not be able to experience the ideals of our government but to watch live stream and to tell my children that they can't participate and they can't come with me.
00:02:59.900 Megan Nolan also received a letter.
00:03:01.860 Nolan believes they are an attempt to silence concerned citizens.
00:03:06.320 When asked what they would like to see happen, Nolan says it is time for a forensic audit and for leadership to take accountability.
00:03:14.380 In my opinion, you need to have integrity.
00:03:19.400 You need to have accountability.
00:03:21.440 You need to be able to be transparent.
00:03:22.700 You need to be able to get called names and that's okay and take it.
00:03:26.220 You're a politician.
00:03:26.920 And you need to be able to have relations with your people.
00:03:33.920 Kathy Pruden-Nansel, a former M&S elected official, also received a cease and desist letter.
00:03:40.020 She says the unrest among citizens isn't about one or two people being upset but about leaders not listening to what is being said.
00:03:47.540 They've ignored so many things and they are not being transparent and the citizens are the ones driving this.
00:03:56.460 Not me as an individual, not Tyler, not Jen, not Megan as individuals.
00:04:01.240 This is citizen driven.
00:04:02.420 APTN reached out to M&S with the comments made by those who received cease and desist letters.
00:04:08.760 They declined further comment.
00:04:11.140 M&S is having their next Métis Legislative Assembly on September 6th and 7th at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon.
00:04:18.340 Jennifer Laywitz is a former conservative staffer and a member of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan.
00:04:23.500 And she was among dozens of people hit with cease and desist letters after posing serious questions about the nation's governance.
00:04:32.800 The legal threat letter that she received accused Laywitz of harassing the leadership of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan and, to quote directly,
00:04:43.740 falsely perpetrating untrue communications that redacted is Métis but not your kind of Métis
00:04:50.920 and falsely claiming redacted as an unelected rando from Quebec.
00:04:58.100 These communications by statement interference or innuendo are blatantly untrue, are harmful, unjustified,
00:05:05.580 and in some instances may give rise to a legal claim against you as they have caused and are continuing to cause reputational harm
00:05:12.980 and other damages, including significant mental harm and anguish to redacted,
00:05:19.660 and for which our client will hold you fully accountable.
00:05:22.580 Now, Laywitz denies she did anything other than, quote, one of the leaders directly about his own Métis heritage.
00:05:31.060 However, Laywitz has now been barred from attending meetings for asking about financial oversight.
00:05:38.220 But Jennifer Laywitz won't be silent.
00:05:40.280 Even though her story has been largely ignored by the mainstream media,
00:05:43.420 Laywitz is tonight on The Gun Show to discuss the futile attempts to silence those Métis voices calling for change and transparency.
00:05:52.680 Here's her story.
00:06:00.420 So joining me now is Jennifer Laywitz.
00:06:02.980 She is from Saskatchewan.
00:06:04.960 Jennifer, before we get into why we're talking to each other today,
00:06:09.040 why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background,
00:06:12.900 and where your focus of your political activism is?
00:06:18.460 Yeah, so I am from Saskatchewan.
00:06:20.220 I'm from a First Nation community in southern Saskatchewan.
00:06:22.820 I've lived here my entire life, University of Saskatchewan alumni.
00:06:26.900 My background is in political science with a proficiency in Indigenous governance.
00:06:32.020 So a lot of my career was first and foremost in government.
00:06:35.280 I worked for a conservative MP from Saskatchewan for over six years
00:06:39.000 and then wanted to take that experience of knowing the inside and outside of government into political advocacy.
00:06:45.120 So I've been kind of a fierce voice in the Indigenous realm for breaking down the barriers for Indigenous people to exist in whatever political camp they see fit.
00:06:56.580 And then also strengthening governance.
00:06:58.760 So a lot of my work now is revitalizing nations and getting us into a place of long-term sustainability, prosperity, and, you know, self-reliance.
00:07:07.860 That's a big thing is to get out of that cycle of relying on government.
00:07:12.080 And, yeah, so that's where a lot of my advocacy has been.
00:07:15.560 And it hasn't been a smooth ride, but it's been a ride nonetheless.
00:07:18.320 Yeah, it sounds to me like you have some expertise in Indigenous governance and, I think, in accountability and sort of what needs to happen to get certain First Nations to a certain level of self-sustainability.
00:07:35.440 And how does that run you into the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan?
00:07:40.520 What problems, I guess, did you identify there?
00:07:44.180 There's, you know, when it comes to Indigenous governance, it's obviously very complex, no matter if you're dealing with First Nations, if you're dealing with Métis people.
00:07:53.260 But for me personally, a lot of my takes are rooted in ensuring that we're taking the capacity that the federal government is giving us and actually legitimately creating long-term sustainable solutions.
00:08:05.820 So when I'm observing government structures that are almost creating more, you know, self-reliance or whatever it might be, that's kind of where my focus goes.
00:08:13.760 And then when I start noticing, you know, that high-level corruption, that's what, like, really, the light bulb goes on.
00:08:21.960 Because in our systems, there's so much that people don't understand.
00:08:25.740 And it's very easy for people to say, oh, there's corruption, there's mismanagement.
00:08:29.600 But a lot of the time, it's just dealing with crappy systems.
00:08:32.020 But with the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan, it was very interesting because my local regional director from the city I live in was actually suspended from the table until she apologized to the CEO.
00:08:45.560 And that's where the alarm bell started going off for me because I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa.
00:08:48.920 A CEO in an Indigenous governance is already unique in itself because that's not typical in government structures, in federal politics, provincial politics, and Indigenous government.
00:08:59.480 So I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, a CEO? Like, this isn't a corporation.
00:09:03.220 And, you know, I had seen their press conference.
00:09:05.580 I had seen their statements where they were, you know, being told that they had allegedly harassed the CEO.
00:09:11.480 Their complaints against him were unfounded, but his were upheld.
00:09:15.360 And when I started kind of digging deeper, I'm like, where did the CEO come within the ministry and the federal government with the Métis Nation?
00:09:23.840 Because they used to be under third-party management because when a government can't manage themselves, the federal government essentially comes in, allegedly, in my opinion, to help you manage yourself.
00:09:35.220 And this guy was working on the government side of things.
00:09:38.400 And then before you know it, he's the CEO.
00:09:41.700 And then there's an MNLA last fall, which is their legislative body, essentially, have a meeting, and he's presented a Métis card.
00:09:50.320 But he's, you know, from Quebec or Ontario, one of the two.
00:09:54.480 And all of a sudden, he's given a Métis card.
00:09:57.020 So I guess there were a lot of questions regarding that.
00:09:59.260 How did this come to be?
00:10:00.300 And, you know, we're seeing, even during the Bill C-5 meetings, we're seeing the president shaking hands with the prime minister.
00:10:06.200 And we're like, oh, everything looks really good on paper.
00:10:08.680 But behind the scenes, we have people asking questions that are barred from the table.
00:10:12.640 I've went through their annual report, and I'm seeing, you know, $117 million from the federal government to operate.
00:10:18.540 And I'm like, what is going on?
00:10:20.860 And I have never been threatened legally so quickly by a body, ever.
00:10:27.540 And that was what raised questions for me.
00:10:29.260 It was like they were attacking academics, activists, Métis lawyers.
00:10:33.400 And I was like, there's a bigger picture here, for sure.
00:10:37.200 So, and we'll get to, you know, the legal threats leveled at yourself and basically anybody who is asking any questions.
00:10:46.500 But what specific questions do you think are not being answered here?
00:10:51.480 You sort of touched on a few, but I see people protesting, looking for a forensic audit.
00:10:56.980 I had no, I, not that I had no idea.
00:11:00.480 But, you know, for me to go to my local community, I can actually just go online and see where all the money's going.
00:11:07.460 And I don't think a lot of Canadians understand that that is frequently not the case in Indigenous and Métis communities.
00:11:16.380 It's very interesting because First Nations is a lot different.
00:11:21.300 I hear a lot of conversations where people say, you know, Justin Trudeau did get rid of the Transparency Act.
00:11:26.000 I would caution on that by saying that there are still, you know, almost like safety measures in place so that nation members aren't taken advantage of.
00:11:35.280 A lot of nations still submit their audits, but also the funding is so heavily regulated that if your reports aren't done, the funding is cut off.
00:11:42.780 ISC does still have that magnifying glass on nations.
00:11:46.280 Granted, it's more bureaucratic now than it's ever been.
00:11:48.960 But with the Métis Nation, they're not under those same parameters. 0.89
00:11:52.160 So we're kind of going off of what we can see.
00:11:55.620 And it's a little bit more tricky because it almost seems like they're not even under, in my opinion, as much scrutiny as First Nations are.
00:12:03.900 So it's almost like this body that a lot of people aren't paying much attention to.
00:12:07.620 Yeah.
00:12:07.900 Then I'm like, whoa, like, look at this.
00:12:09.860 This is a government.
00:12:12.100 It's not.
00:12:12.760 It's registered, I believe, as a nonprofit, maybe.
00:12:14.720 I don't even know how that's done.
00:12:15.960 But the federal government is funding them to the tune of over $100 million a year.
00:12:20.600 And it doesn't seem like many people are paying attention to that.
00:12:23.280 So that's where my questions came in is, like, how are they managed?
00:12:26.240 How is the federal government ensuring safe barriers in there so that it's not mismanaged, it's not misused, so there's no corruption or fraud or any of those things?
00:12:35.480 But I didn't see as much heavy scrutiny on them as I do with nations.
00:12:41.340 So how does the governance structure work?
00:12:45.700 You know, is it, you know, like voting, like municipal elections?
00:12:49.400 How do you find out who, how do you determine who's in charge?
00:12:54.300 Well, that's a really, that's a really good question, because that brings us back to the conversation around the CEO.
00:12:59.540 It is a democracy, quote, unquote.
00:13:01.780 I would caution heavily using the word democracy when I'm getting threatened legally.
00:13:08.060 But there is voting.
00:13:09.320 There was just an election that took place this spring where they are trying to advance themselves as a government.
00:13:14.180 But then you're seeing elected officials suspended from the table indefinitely until they apologize to a CEO.
00:13:20.000 So the CEO holds a lot of centralized power, in my opinion, and he's able to make those decisions.
00:13:25.520 And that's where a lot of the questions come in, because CEOs are not typical in government structures.
00:13:30.220 So it's also new for us, and we're like, how do we actually ensure there's transparency when you can put that power into the hands of somebody like a CEO or a COO at the top and then hide behind the cloak of don't attack employees, don't attack private citizens, but they're playing central roles.
00:13:48.240 Right. From what I can understand, outside looking in, they're sort of trying to make this a workplace harassment issue, when it's simply people wanting to know where all the money's going.
00:14:01.800 What sort of sent off red flags, you know, about the finances for you?
00:14:08.540 One of the biggest red flags was when my regional representative told me that she has not been privy to his contract.
00:14:15.640 So that was a major red flag for me when I'm like, you mean to tell me that you're sitting at the governance table as a member of the PMC, which is the Prevental Metis Council, as a former minister in that self-government, as a regional representative, and she is not privy to that contract.
00:14:30.960 She cannot look me in the face and tell me how much money that CEO makes a year. 0.88
00:14:35.540 I understand that there are certain contracts and public employees, you know, that are, you know, I was, I'm a civil public servant that my salary was not public, but it wasn't a lot of money.
00:14:44.880 But we know when you're a CEO, you're at the top level.
00:14:48.040 And not only that, when I read the motion that was passed a couple months ago, stating that he is being given a payout because of those harassment allegations, that is published on their website as a motion to pay him out a settlement regarding those harassment allegations.
00:15:07.300 How much was the settlement?
00:15:08.680 Who did this investigation?
00:15:10.840 What did they determine harassment is?
00:15:12.580 And why is he still employed?
00:15:15.000 I don't know any other instance where a government gives someone essentially hush money.
00:15:19.120 Normally you sign a release and see you later.
00:15:21.780 Not here's your money.
00:15:23.320 And we're going to continue protecting you while these elected officials are still suspended from the table.
00:15:29.700 And so the elected officials get suspended from the table.
00:15:33.200 People start asking questions.
00:15:34.920 You're one of them.
00:15:35.820 But, I mean, it's normal people.
00:15:38.240 It's prominent people.
00:15:39.700 They want to know what's going on in the Métis government.
00:15:43.440 And then you all, well, most of you, almost simultaneously get hit with a legal threat.
00:15:51.340 Cease and desist.
00:15:52.400 Shut up. 0.95
00:15:52.880 You're harassing us.
00:15:55.700 You know, what does that look like?
00:15:57.900 Does it send a chill across everybody?
00:16:01.180 You don't seem like you're being quiet.
00:16:02.920 But I imagine there are a few people who are just like, I can't deal with this.
00:16:08.440 There are a few.
00:16:09.580 I think that this, their hope was that this would scare people enough to silence them.
00:16:14.180 You know, I am privileged in the fact that I come with a lot of knowledge and expertise in governance.
00:16:18.920 So it's really easy for me to debunk a lot of the arguments that are coming in, like saying, oh, don't harass a public citizen or a private citizen.
00:16:25.820 But, I mean, you have a CEO in your government.
00:16:27.720 Most governments don't have CEOs.
00:16:29.160 So it's kind of the argument there.
00:16:31.480 It's easy to kind of dismantle some of that.
00:16:33.980 But for me, it is concerning because there are a lot of conversations around Indigenous governance where there's the non-Indigenous people that are scared to ask questions because we've created this culture of it's going against reconciliation.
00:16:48.200 It's going against being a good ally.
00:16:50.060 When you point fingers, you ask questions.
00:16:52.500 But the corruption can almost breed in those type of environments that we're creating.
00:16:57.780 So I also feel a sense of responsibility where it's like, well, you know, as an Indigenous person and someone that's, you know, paved my own way through life, I put myself through school.
00:17:07.160 You know, there's never been handouts.
00:17:08.620 I've always worked hard.
00:17:09.680 I own my own home.
00:17:10.640 I almost feel this sense of responsibility to be one of the ones that comes in and says, whoa, whoa, whoa, this is actually not right.
00:17:17.160 Here is not only the questions I'm asking, but I want to give everyone the tools to ask those questions so that not only we have governance structures that function, but we also can be proud of what we're putting out there publicly that the rest of Canada and taxpayers are watching.
00:17:32.420 Because right now it's it's embarrassing.
00:17:35.020 It feels embarrassing.
00:17:36.580 Yeah.
00:17:36.780 I mean, I think it is every the right of every Canadian to know what their government's doing.
00:17:41.800 It just seems like such a basic thing.
00:17:45.140 And then to find out people who are asking questions of the Métis Nation that they're getting hit with these cease and desist letters.
00:17:54.180 Now, give me a Coles Notes version of what your cease and desist letter said.
00:17:59.560 Yeah.
00:17:59.980 So it was actually like really a silly cease and desist, in my most humble opinion, because it came really quickly.
00:18:05.260 And I think they were very sloppy in the fact that they there were two things that they are not happy with me about.
00:18:11.320 The first is that I called him an unelected rando from Quebec. 0.71
00:18:17.360 So that one is interesting because they're they're fighting about the fact that he's a private citizen.
00:18:21.720 So, yes, you are unelected.
00:18:23.140 In my personal opinion, you're a rando.
00:18:26.980 I don't know you.
00:18:27.600 I don't know where you came from.
00:18:28.700 And then from Quebec, even if you're from Quebec or Ontario or Alberta or B.C., in anyone's minds, why is that defamation?
00:18:37.060 Why are you upset that that's brought up?
00:18:38.840 That's accurate.
00:18:39.640 The second piece.
00:18:40.460 Like, it's just a fact.
00:18:43.220 And then the second piece is they took from my Twitter thread where I said he was reportedly asked whether or not he was Métis.
00:18:50.360 And he reportedly and allegedly said, not your kind of Métis.
00:18:54.520 But they paraphrased in the cease and desist and said that I basically said he's not our kind of Métis.
00:18:59.940 But that's not what I said.
00:19:00.980 So it was very strange in that regard.
00:19:03.860 And what was the most concerning was at the end when they told me that I am now barred from their meetings.
00:19:09.540 So I have never signed a code of conduct.
00:19:11.840 I have never been disruptive in any of their meetings.
00:19:14.620 And, you know, I have an older elder Métis grandmother that I can now no longer take to any Métis meeting because I will probably be kicked out. 0.98
00:19:22.320 And if I don't comply, I'll probably be arrested.
00:19:24.760 So that is absolutely outrageous.
00:19:27.440 And I saw you pointing out on your Facebook page that you have security clearance.
00:19:30.820 You can wander the halls of the House of Commons of this country.
00:19:34.720 And yet you can't go and find out what's going on at your local government.
00:19:40.320 Yeah.
00:19:40.820 Being a previous staffer, I obviously don't have security clearance anymore, but I haven't broken the law since then.
00:19:45.140 Right.
00:19:45.320 Yes, I had, you know, not the very top security clearance, but it was reliability clearance.
00:19:50.180 I worked for a member of parliament.
00:19:51.460 There's been times I've scanned in, went into the House of Commons.
00:19:54.180 I've ran into ministers.
00:19:56.060 I've crossed the halls with MPs.
00:19:57.960 I've spoken face to face with national political party leaders.
00:20:01.120 There's never been a concern there.
00:20:02.900 I was just in the premier of Saskatchewan's office during budget day with some chiefs that I work with.
00:20:07.260 Never been an issue ever.
00:20:09.360 But now at this level, I'm treated like a criminal.
00:20:11.980 And I also would ask, is everyone that's involved in your governance structure also able to pass a security clearance?
00:20:17.640 Have they, if they were to move to the federal government structure?
00:20:19.820 That's a question I'd be willing to ask.
00:20:21.640 Well, and, you know, just getting back to the cease and desist letters, they aren't cheap.
00:20:27.280 You know, in the course of work, I work, you know, with lawyers quite a fair bit.
00:20:31.980 And, you know, lawyers, every little bit of their time costs money.
00:20:38.440 And to send out, like, dozens and dozens of cease and desist letters, that's a lot of money.
00:20:49.260 And, you know, when you're asking questions about where's all the money going, and then they waste a bunch of money paying lawyers to shut people up, it only poses more questions.
00:20:58.760 Especially because it goes down to the conversation, you know, I know the Minister of Ethics or Justice or Self-Determination, whatever the name is today that's being used.
00:21:10.340 He was recorded on AP10 saying, you know, no programs have been affected by this.
00:21:15.660 And it's like, well, like, if you take money from one place and spend it, it's less money that you have.
00:21:20.420 Like, that's just simple math at this point.
00:21:22.560 But also, it's the infamous, well, we're still helping people.
00:21:27.360 We're giving them services.
00:21:28.280 We're giving them programs.
00:21:30.060 It's textbook.
00:21:31.520 Don't ask any questions because at least we're delivering something.
00:21:34.280 And I have seen that out of some of the critics.
00:21:36.520 I won't lie.
00:21:37.080 I do have some of their critics that come in my comment sections.
00:21:39.840 It's been interesting because there's always some connection back to some of them have the same last name as the president.
00:21:45.220 The president's wife is liking comments.
00:21:47.440 Like, it's, come on.
00:21:48.860 It's clear.
00:21:49.540 It's like, yeah, well, they're doing more for citizens now than they ever have.
00:21:53.420 It's like, yeah, but they're receiving a lot of money from the federal government now.
00:21:56.640 Back in the day when I first remember the Métis Nation, it isn't what it is now.
00:22:00.060 The government is heavily supporting them.
00:22:02.140 There's a lot of funding there, just like they are in any nation right now because of the governance building piece.
00:22:09.480 But just because they're delivering programs doesn't mean people don't have a right to ask questions.
00:22:14.580 Like, that doesn't even make sense in any free and open democracy.
00:22:17.740 So, what comes next?
00:22:21.560 I guess what comes next with you trying to get transparency and accountability?
00:22:28.080 And then I guess I'll pose a second part to that question.
00:22:31.460 How do we fix this?
00:22:32.920 Because this seems like it's a systemic hole that they are wiggling through.
00:22:36.840 I think there's two pieces.
00:22:40.440 There's the fight that can't stop.
00:22:42.100 And it's also ensuring that when these types of things happen, we don't back down easily because people are watching and they want to know that there's safety and there's a path forward for using your voice in these instances.
00:22:53.320 And taking on that piece of self-responsibility where it's like, as Indigenous people, we have a responsibility to be holding these people accountable.
00:22:59.940 And then the second piece is for the non-Indigenous people to not alienate us during this time.
00:23:07.260 You know, there's a lot of stereotypes out there.
00:23:09.680 There's a lot of things that people have legitimate questions on.
00:23:12.780 Don't paint us all at the same brush.
00:23:14.740 Some of us are your friends.
00:23:15.980 We are your neighbours.
00:23:16.980 We are your, you know, we're a part of your same society and we want the exact same things you do.
00:23:21.860 So, I'm asking, you know, don't come with the racist hammer and thinking we're all bad people because we're not.
00:23:27.300 There's some of us that are fighting for that accountability and transparency and we need that allyship right now.
00:23:33.460 And, yeah, it's just watch carefully the ones that are being silenced and what that looks like and, you know, make the connections back to the government too because the government does play a role.
00:23:43.580 You know, I've looked up who some of the former lobbyists are for the Métis Nation and when I go to the lobby registry, which is public, and I see old former ministers' names like Sheila Copps, there's a lot of questions there.
00:23:54.280 So, just paying attention to kind of all the moving pieces and don't think it's just immune to our little fight internally, it always connects back to other government structures, almost always.
00:24:05.440 Good grief.
00:24:06.420 Is there not a corrupt thing that Sheila Copps is not involved in, that woman? 1.00
00:24:12.560 She's like an octopus. 1.00
00:24:14.020 She's got hands in everything. 1.00
00:24:15.100 Is there a legislative piece that you think needs to change here?
00:24:22.520 That's a hard one because I'm not a fan of creating more government.
00:24:27.380 I am very much like I want to live quietly in my home in Saskatchewan and be left alone from government.
00:24:35.620 So, I'm like I don't want more government.
00:24:38.060 It never ends good.
00:24:39.120 Like, to me, it's that self-responsibility piece where like we have to take responsibility for ourselves, for our kids.
00:24:45.240 We have to raise them right.
00:24:46.220 I know I just had a thread on Twitter about this that that's really the only thing that's going to fix this is when we start getting back to good values and raising our kids to be respectful and follow the law.
00:24:56.020 And then we lead by example.
00:24:57.400 Like, there's, it's really a matter of you cannot put your interests above anyone else's and that goes for politicians in any capacity.
00:25:04.580 The minute you start doing that and you're more worried about protecting your power and your position, everything else falls apart.
00:25:10.660 I think, too, you know, you can't be scared.
00:25:14.000 Like, you just can't be scared.
00:25:15.900 You know who's scared right now?
00:25:18.060 The people at the top in the Métis Nation.
00:25:20.880 They're very scared.
00:25:22.020 They're the ones sending out the cease and desist letters.
00:25:25.220 They're scared of the normal people.
00:25:26.600 And I think it's important for the normal people to remember that, that they really do hold more power than they think they do.
00:25:33.780 Oh, for sure.
00:25:34.760 Like, I often wonder whether or not they think what I've said publicly is all that I know about this situation because I'm a very thorough person and my DMs are a wild ride.
00:25:46.100 And I know, you know, there's been talk that I've even been discussed at that table, allegedly.
00:25:50.340 And, you know, there's been accusations that I'm even working for the women that have been suspended from the table and I'm hired by them. 1.00
00:25:58.320 And I would love to challenge that legally.
00:25:59.800 But it's okay, apparently, on other people's fronts to say whatever they want to, except for us on the bottom.
00:26:05.460 So now, Jennifer, I know you do this basically of the love of transparency and accountability.
00:26:12.140 Is there a way that people can support what you're doing or learn more about what you're doing?
00:26:18.280 Yeah, I guess just, you know, take the time, take the time to listen to our videos and our posts.
00:26:24.560 I know, you know, some of these people are new to the media realm and they're new to the communications realm that some of their posts, you know, it might not seem as structured and as to the point because they're new, right?
00:26:37.740 Like some of these people are new to talking about government and what it looks like to exist in government spaces.
00:26:41.980 So give us grace, give us patience, and don't just listen to the loudest voices.
00:26:46.620 You know, there's some smaller guys out there that are really trying to paint some accountability across government structures.
00:26:53.820 They're just not as listened to.
00:26:55.780 And also make sure that people are listening to the media outlets exactly like yourself and APTN and some of the ones that are willing to hear us out because people automatically go to mainstream media waiting for the legitimacy and thinking that mainstream media are the ones that are going to provide that.
00:27:11.340 But we're being threatened legally and we're being silenced and mainstream media has been nowhere to be found.
00:27:16.440 And that's been really frustrating.
00:27:18.400 Yeah, I think at the end of the day, as Canadians, we all want the same thing by and large.
00:27:24.120 I think we all want, well, most of us want smaller government and smaller government, my dog, smaller government that is more accountable to the people that they are supposed to serve, that they should serve the people and not themselves.
00:27:37.380 And I think that that goes across all backgrounds.
00:27:39.920 Yeah, for sure.
00:27:42.260 I agree with that.
00:27:43.260 Well, Jennifer, thank you so much for speaking with me.
00:27:45.720 And thank you for being brave enough to keep talking even when people want to shut you up.
00:27:57.240 As regular viewers know, the last portion of the show belongs to you.
00:28:01.180 That's why I give you my email address right now.
00:28:03.100 I want to know what you thought about my interview with Jennifer Lewitz and what you think about transparency in all government, not just Indigenous government and the people's right to know what their government is doing behind closed doors.
00:28:19.760 Or if the government should have a right to close the doors to the people that they work on behalf of.
00:28:27.300 So I'll give you my email address.
00:28:28.680 Like I said, it's Sheila at RebelNews.com.
00:28:30.920 Send me an email.
00:28:31.980 Put gun show letters in the subject line so I know why you're emailing me.
00:28:35.780 And you might just see your email read on air.
00:28:38.500 Now, speaking of the government trying to silence people, I don't know if you saw this week, but our Rebel News alumnus, who is now over at Tijuno slash countersignal, Kian Bexty, he got a threat.
00:28:55.440 And he is being investigated by Elections Canada for his reporting during the writ period, particularly on Thomas Keeper, a Liberal candidate in Calgary.
00:29:12.940 Take a listen to the video that Kian published about what's happening to him.
00:29:19.780 I am being criminally investigated.
00:29:22.900 I just received the letter from the government, from the Office of Canada's Election Commissioner, informing me that I'm being investigated for my reporting during Canada's 45th general election.
00:29:35.480 The stories in question detail the alleged history of Thomas Keeper, someone you probably know of by now.
00:29:40.980 He's the now fired Liberal candidate for Calgary Confederation.
00:29:45.560 Juno News worked diligently to ensure the accuracy of what we published, and nothing then or now undermines its truth.
00:29:51.240 We went above and beyond to ensure that we were reporting facts that were in the public interest.
00:29:56.880 We not only gave the Liberal candidate, Thomas Keeper, chance after chance to answer very troubling allegations, he refused.
00:30:04.240 I even hand-delivered an envelope with our questions to his office, and instead of responding, he called the police on me and lied, accusing me of assault.
00:30:14.120 Now, the entire encounter was recorded, caught on camera, and the video makes it abundantly clear that his allegation was false, and within hours of our publication, what do you know, the Liberal Party fired him.
00:30:26.380 Some Conservatives wished that we had waited, that our newsroom had held the story until after the nomination, so that Keeper would be stuck on the ballot after the nomination deadline, and it would secure the seat for Conservatives.
00:30:38.080 But journalism is not about party strategy, it's about informing the public, during an election, no less, and that's what we did.
00:30:45.620 Now, Mark Carney, he's furious, and he's using an authoritarian law implemented by Justin Trudeau to investigate me for the crime of reporting news that humiliated the Liberal Party of Canada.
00:30:55.840 In Iran, I'd be executed for embarrassing the regime.
00:30:58.900 In North Korea, I'd be sent to a labor camp.
00:31:00.960 In China, I'd be carted off to some off-the-book black site and never heard from again.
00:31:05.280 And in Canada, in Canada, I'm threatened with up to five years in federal prison and a devastating $50,000 fine.
00:31:13.840 I don't know how long this fight will last, or if I'll be in prison by this time next year, but I do know this.
00:31:19.300 If it goes to trial, I will take it to the Supreme Court of Canada.
00:31:21.840 And those justices, six of nine who were appointed by Justin Trudeau, will be forced to declare once and for all whether freedom of the press still exists in this country.
00:31:30.840 A more complete picture of this investigation, including the commissioner's letter that I just read, will be published at defendjuno.com.
00:31:37.720 You can read it for yourself. It's all there.
00:31:39.560 So, some of you may know that I am also the president of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada.
00:31:44.020 I am tasked with doing what I can to advocate on behalf of independent journalists and in the name of freedom of the press.
00:31:54.300 Wherever a journalist is hassled or censored, I try to do what I can to advance their rights.
00:32:03.060 And so, I just want to read to you what we wrote at the Independent Press Gallery in defense of Kian Bextie.
00:32:11.760 And I should tell you that I have been investigated by Elections Alberta for the crime of writing a book and then publishing it during the writ period.
00:32:20.700 The book was on Rachel Notley.
00:32:23.440 It was called Stop Notley.
00:32:25.940 And I was investigated because to promote the book, I had lawn signs that said Stop Notley.
00:32:31.360 The book was called Stop Notley, but they tried to say that that was an election finance violation instead of a marketing campaign for a book.
00:32:41.360 So, I know what Kian's going through here.
00:32:45.200 We said at the Independent Press Gallery that the Independent Press Gallery of Canada condemns the criminal investigation launched against journalists Kian Bextie and Juneau News under Section 91.1 of the Canada Elections Act.
00:32:57.440 Bextie is facing potential charges for his reporting on Liberal candidate Thomas Keeper, reporting that was sourced, corroborated, and followed by the Liberal Party itself, dropping Keeper from the ballot.
00:33:11.800 They don't seem to be suing Kian for the substance of his claims.
00:33:19.860 They are suing him or threatening to investigate him, I'm sorry, for the timing of his reporting.
00:33:28.060 When are you supposed to report on the Liberal candidate in the election except in the election?
00:33:34.620 Section 91.1 has already been ruled unconstitutional by Ontario courts and condemned as vague, unnecessary, and dangerous to free expression.
00:33:47.480 Using it against independent media is censorship by prosecution and a chilling threat to democracy itself.
00:33:54.040 This case is part of a disturbing pattern.
00:33:56.700 In the 2025 election campaign, it was rife with targeting of independent journalists by the Liberal Party and its leader, Mark Carney.
00:34:05.180 Journalists from independent outlets, including Juneau News, were repeatedly barred from Carney's press conferences, where police were even used to keep reporters from asking questions.
00:34:13.040 Now, post-election victory, the Liberal government is escalating from exclusion to criminalization through the abuse of an overreaching and purposefully murky law.
00:34:22.580 The IPG stands with Juneau News, censorship by prosecution cannot be allowed to replace accountability.
00:34:29.160 Free elections require a free press.
00:34:32.440 If you're watching this and you are an independent journalist, I suggest you head on over to independentpressgallery.ca and join.
00:34:40.860 You get a press card and training on defamation.
00:34:45.980 We just did a defamation training and we have other skills development seminars with lawyers that you can ask questions to in the works.
00:34:57.260 So, independentpressgallery.ca.
00:35:00.800 Now, I wanted to see what you guys were saying about what's happening to Kian.
00:35:04.880 So, I went over to the comment section on the interview that Ezra did on his show, as I'm recording this Wednesday, so I think it was on Tuesday's show.
00:35:16.560 Rochelle says,
00:35:17.480 The public have a right to know the character of whom they are voting for.
00:35:21.040 When confronted, Mr. Keeper lied about being assaulted, that is true actually, and called the police.
00:35:27.240 That right there proves what his character is.
00:35:29.320 Calling the police and lying is a crime and he made false allegations about Mr. Bexty as the video proves, that is true. 0.97
00:35:36.060 He had a chance to respond to questions and add up a lie to avoid answering them instead.
00:35:44.700 That doesn't look good for him.
00:35:45.800 Yeah, Kian tried to put what he had to Mr. Keeper, as is your responsibility as a journalist.
00:35:58.740 If you are making allegations against someone, you need to give them the right to respond.
00:36:03.880 And Kian did that, but instead of responding, Mr. Keeper engaged in what I would suggest is a waste of police resources and a false claim of assault.
00:36:14.140 Captured on video.
00:36:17.520 And now he's filed, or someone has, complained to Elections Canada.
00:36:23.640 Canada Suburb says,
00:36:24.960 The Liberal Party kicked him out.
00:36:26.180 It wasn't Keeper.
00:36:26.900 He was devastated.
00:36:27.880 Reliable witness here.
00:36:28.940 Well, I'd like to see what evidence you have.
00:36:31.440 Alpha Skeptic says the voting public needs to know the facts about those who run for election.
00:36:36.920 Unlike the mainstream media, Rebel, Juno, Kian, and other independents work hard to provide the information that informed electors need to cast their votes.
00:36:44.460 And again, if Keeper didn't do the things, whatever it is that Kian says that he was doing, whatever it is that anybody says that he was doing, when someone gives you the right to respond, now's your chance.
00:36:57.820 You can't say they said things about me and didn't give me the right to respond.
00:37:04.880 Kian gave him a right to respond, which would protect him from any defamation lawsuit, which is why they're not suing him for defamation.
00:37:13.480 I think.
00:37:14.100 Thomas Law, LL1HW, says,
00:37:20.660 What did Mr. Keeper allegedly do exactly?
00:37:23.940 Very suspicious that the Liberals opted not to run their candidate.
00:37:26.760 You obviously found something of substance.
00:37:30.160 You know what?
00:37:30.780 I'll just show you what Keeper did.
00:37:33.660 This is from Juno.
00:37:34.840 They say,
00:37:35.220 Our exclusive report detailed first-hand accounts from multiple sources who claim Keeper engaged in a pattern of abusive behavior.
00:37:42.560 One source, Brett Pierce, so Kian even named his sources, recalled his unsettling conversation with Keeper.
00:37:50.500 He said,
00:37:51.460 He was talking about how whenever he wants to have sex with his wife, he just forces her to do so.
00:37:56.300 I said,
00:37:56.760 Is she okay with that?
00:37:57.760 He's like,
00:37:58.260 I'm her husband.
00:37:59.000 She has to be okay with it.
00:38:00.320 Another Calgary businessman who has had intimate dinner conversations with Keeper told Juno News the subject of the Liberal candidate's marriage came up so often that he finally challenged him.
00:38:09.280 She complains about him forcing himself on her.
00:38:12.500 She's like,
00:38:12.920 It's horrible,
00:38:13.640 the witness recounted.
00:38:15.920 Additional accounts from former associates described a public incident where Keeper's behavior turned violent.
00:38:23.940 These allegations, among others, detailing verbal abuse and disregard for consent paint a picture of a candidate whose private conduct stands in stark contrast to the image he projected on the campaign trail.
00:38:33.680 In the wake of Juno's report, Thomas Keeper withdrew his candidacy.
00:38:40.600 Juno reached out to the Liberal Party for clarification regarding their vetting process.
00:38:46.600 And the report is based on direct recorded interviews and corroborated firsthand testimony.
00:38:53.400 Any allegations remain unproven in a court of law.
00:38:58.720 Kian did reach out to Thomas Keeper directly, and he chose to instead file a false police report.
00:39:05.760 So, and now, since that didn't work, the Liberal Party is using Elections Canada to go after Kian. 0.98
00:39:14.520 And this is just a pattern of abuse and behavior of those in charge to use the systems before them against the people asking the questions.
00:39:25.480 And if you want to support Kian Bexty and Juno News, you can go to defendjuno.com, because I believe he's going to need a little bit of help.
00:39:37.100 Well, everybody, that's the show for tonight.
00:39:38.640 Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:39:39.720 I'll see everybody back here in the same time, in the same place next week.
00:39:42.360 And as always, don't let the government tell you that you've had too much to think.
00:39:45.700 Thank you.