LifeSiteNews, Canada most influential anti-abortion and anti-2SLGBTQ+ organization, has reinstated its CEO amid accusations of discriminating on the basis of gender and religion and financial wrongdoing.
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
There is a schism within LifeSiteNews (LSN), one of Canada’s largest far-right media outlets. On July 2, several board members of LifeSiteNews heard evidence alleging that CEO John-Henry Westen contributed to a “toxic” work environment, discriminated as an employer on the grounds of gender and religion, and engaged in financial wrongdoing. The meeting ended with a slim majority of the board voting to remove Westen as CEO.
Westen characterized the allegations against him, which have not been tested in court, as false, misleading, and based on distorted statistics in a statement published on July 29, 2025.
The July 2 board meeting was leaked, and its authenticity has been confirmed, providing us with a rare behind the scenes look at LifeSiteNews and the allegations against its CEO.
On July 18, the LifeSiteNews board reversed their decision to remove Westen by finding their previous vote to be invalid. They met again on July 22 to remove one of the directors of the board.
In a statement posted to LifeSiteNews, Westen says it was important to him and the board, and that he was urged by the Board of Directors, to “[correct the record] as publicly as the detractions.” Westen says that he was “blindsided” at the July 2 board meeting and “awarded no opportunity to defend” himself from a “premeditated effort that involved a series of false accusations and misleading assertions.” He claims that he was the victim of “false testimony and distorted statistics” and that there is an internal investigation underway.
Westen’s statement specifically refutes the allegations that he personally gained from a LSN transaction, made misrepresentations to a donor, or engaged in nepotism “regarding the fact that two of [his] daughters are LifeSiteNews employees.” He calls these allegations “absolutely false” and “designed to damage both [him] and [LifeSiteNews’] mission.”
Some of the other allegations, such as the claim that Westen discriminated on the basis of gender and religion, are not specifically refuted in his statement.
“Fundamentally, I believe this wasn’t about legal or financial misconduct,” says Westen, “but rather differences of opinion regarding the editorial voice of LifeSiteNews.”
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network made several requests for comment to Westen, LSN co-founder Steve Jalsevac, and members of the board of directors. None have responded.
The mandate of LifeSiteNews is to “provide an alternative to the mainstream news that was either ignoring or providing highly slanted reporting on [issues of life, family, and many related issues] and on the activities and statements of pro-life, pro-family organizations in the world.”
Articles published by LifeSiteNews have, at times, included antisemitic content and celebrated foreign laws which seek to punish gay people with the death penalty. LifeSiteNews called on its readers to participate in the January 6, 2021 insurrection attempt in Washington, DC. According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s briefing paper on “Online Domestic Extremism in Canada,” LifeSiteNews is the second-most “linked to” news site by “Canadian domestic extremists.”
LifeSiteNews is one of the most influential far-right non-profits operating in Canada, with over 60 employees and international reach. In 2021, LSN reported $946,551 in revenue to Corporations Canada. It is also incorporated in the United States – where tax filings from 2023 show the American arm of the organization had a tax-exempt revenue of $4,962,336. LSN claims to produce 4,000 articles per year which are read by over 20 million people.
LifeSiteNews’ CEO, John-Henry Westen, has been involved in anti-abortion organizing in Canada and around the world for decades, including speaking at and attending conferences from Rome to Moscow to Christchurch. According to his profile on a website advertising Catholic speakers, his speaking topics include “Vatican intrigue, Church politics, Papal Controversies and more!”
Westen and Steve Jalsevac founded LifeSiteNews as a project within Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), a Canadian anti-abortion lobby group. Both organizations regularly advocate against abortion rights, rights for 2SLGBTQ+ people, COVID health measures, and more. The two organizations share some of the same directors and office space in Hamilton, Ontario.
CLC tries to influence Canadian politics, publishing report cards every election on candidates’ electability on the basis of their positions on abortion and “LGBT ideology.” It claims it sent 1,100 people to the 2021 Conservative Party of Canada convention, making up one third of all delegates. CLC also claims to have helped pass numerous resolutions at the 2023 CPC convention, including policies targeting transgender persons and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives.
Westen suggests what is behind the allegations against him are fundamentally “differences of opinion regarding the editorial voice of LifeSiteNews.” The external consultant retained to interview LSN employees characterized it differently at the July 2 board meeting. According to the consultant, nearly every LSN employee surveyed “spoke about the content and how it’s full of conspiracies and very, very negative unanimously.” Westen was also allegedly accused in the survey of fostering a “toxic” and “fear based” work environment.
Through an official statement published on July 8, LSN informed its supporters that Westen was no longer with the organization. Westen, who co-founded LSN and served as the organization’s CEO and editor-in-chief, was removed from his post by a board vote that carried with a “slim majority.”
On July 9 a post made to X (formerly Twitter) from the LifeSiteNews account said that the decision was “influenced by several factors,” citing a 72% drop in readership from 2021 to 2024 and a decline in donors under Westen as CEO.
The post also said, “Additionally, an internal survey revealed significant concerns regarding staff sentiment and safety scores, which further informed the board’s considerations.”
A now-deleted July 9 post to X allegedly written by Steve Jalsevac—LSN’s other co-founder and president—further complicated matters. Screenshots of the post include Jalsevac allegedly stating that Westen “insisted” on preaching to a “tiny fraction” of Catholics, and was a leading force behind a “mission change” that led LSN to be widely viewed as sedevacantist. “Without major needed change LifeSiteNews cannot survive,” according to Jalsevac.
Sedevacantism is a traditionalist right-wing Catholic movement that views the Pope as illegitimate. Some Catholics view sedevacantism as a heretical belief. According to Ann, who describes herself as Director of Advertising and Production during the July 2 board meeting, there are “approximately five sedevacantists on staff in key editorial positions.”
On July 18, LSN released a two-sentence statement reversing its previous decision and confirming that Westen “has been recognized by the board as the President and CEO of lifesitenews.com Inc. subject to administrative review and investigation.”
A confirmed audio recording of the July 2 LSN board meeting has surfaced. First published online by the YouTube account Eternal Life Plan over two livestreams on July 16 and 18, the recording allegedly includes members of both the Canadian and United States boards of directors. Christine Harrington, who operates the Eternal Life Plan YouTube account, claims to have received an email from a whistleblower (whose name is not shared) with the recording. The whistleblower claims the meeting is recorded in full, up to the point of the board’s vote to remove Westen.
It can be inferred from the audio recording that at some point an external consultant was hired who claims to have surveyed “20-30%” of the 60 employees of the organization on their experiences. This external consultant gives his opinion that, allegedly, “everyone described [the organizational culture] as ‘toxic’ in some way or another,” and that “every employee surveyed characterized the culture as fear-based.” He alleges that nearly every LSN employee surveyed “spoke about the [organization’s] content and how it's full of conspiracies and very, very negative unanimously.”
The consultant then reads a number of what he alleges are direct quotes by employees “to support that LifeSiteNews has become a cult of personalities surrounding John Henry Westen,” including employees allegedly saying they are afraid to speak out and may be fired if they do so, that Westen’s beliefs are more important than the livelihood of the staff, and that they work under a culture of fear.
Later in the recording we hear from Patrick, who identifies himself as the Director of Administration and Controller for nearly four years. Describing his duties with LifeSiteNews to the board, Patrick says, “among my responsibilities are ensuring that our organization is in compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations.”
Speaking about Westen, Patrick gives his opinion that “actions which I once attributed to ignorance, naivety, or a certain disconnect I have over time observed a pattern and come to believe they are quite calculated and willful.” Patrick goes on to allege that, “most concerning, these actions seem to evidence little to no regard for the dignity of the human person, legal or ethical constraints or concern even for the reputation and well-being for the organization as a whole.”
Patrick claims that, “the areas of legal and ethical concern include but are not limited to, inurement, equal opportunity violations, discrimination, charity fraud, soliciting funds from donors under false pretenses, unlawful employment of illegal aliens, conflicts of interest, and nepotism."
Patrick also alleges in the recording that, in his opinion, Westen has a “long pattern of discrimination against both job candidates and employees.”
“John-Henry has persisted in asking both inappropriate and unlawful interview questions,” claims Patrick. He alleges that Westen was “seeking to compensate employees based on any combination of the following: sex, marital status, number of children, ideological views, and religious affiliation, as opposed to hiring and compensating based on qualifications and merit.” Westen did not comment on or deny this allegation in his statement.
In the recording, Patrick gives an example of what he believes is a case of discrimination. He alleges a LifeSiteNews employee, despite having the highest production of anyone on staff, did not receive a raise in over four and a half years on the basis of being Protestant and not Catholic.
Patrick also alleges that Westen advocated for a staff member who was accused of sexual harassment: “A journalist who was promoted to director without requisite experience and facing severe performance and behavioral issues, including multiple allegations of sexual harassment from female staff was demoted. But at John-Henry's insistence only had a slight decrease in salary, retaining a much higher salary than other journalists in similar positions.”
Westen does not refute this allegation in his statement.
According to Patrick: “John-Henry has a long track record of poor judgment related to conflicts of interest in nepotism based upon familial relationships, ideological grounds, and the in the building of internal political alliances. He uses nepotism to advance his personal objectives.”
Patrick goes on to allege numerous examples where Westen, in his opinion, marginalized” staff who he perceived as loyal to Steve Jalsevac, the other co-founder, and that people with “no-show jobs” working no more than two hours a day were elevated to leadership roles and received significant raises in the five figures due to their loyalty to Westen. According to Patrick, Westen also allegedly intervened to ensure those loyal to him, including his adult children, received jobs and wage increases at the organization.
While the nepotism allegations made by Patrick are more wide ranging, Westen only specifically comments about the situation with his adult children employed by LSN in his statement. He writes, “with respect to the fact that two of my daughters are employed at LifeSiteNews, being a co-founder doesn’t mean my children are disqualified from working for the mission I helped build. Of course, I recused myself from their hiring decisions. In fact, one of my daughters joined LifeSiteNews as a Major Gifts Officer during a critical staffing shortage. She left a secure, full-time career and took a $35,000 pay cut in order to serve the mission.”
Patrick describes a situation in which the organization intended to purchase a studio in Barry’s Bay, Ontario. He alleges that despite “clear directives” from the board and the controller that the property must be assigned to the organization, Westen allegedly placed the studio under the title of an Ontario numbered corporation with himself as the sole member, or owner. He also allegedly did not have the property inspected, which would have revealed a number of issues.
This allegation is directly responded to by Westen in his statement. He writes, “LifeSiteNews purchased a new building in Ontario to serve as our video production studio. Using a technique that many nonprofits employ when holding real estate, LifeSiteNews set up a separate company in which I was the sole Director, but LifeSiteNews owned 100% of the shares. I hold no ownership and receive no financial benefit from this LifeSiteNews real estate holding company. There was no personal financial gain, and nothing irregular about it. We used the same sort of holding company mechanism when purchasing a building in Virginia years ago.”
The recording continues with Patrick alleging that Westen retained a single individual, the son of the realtor who sold them the property, to provide legal services, act as the construction manager, and also handle the accounting, finance, and payroll operations in Barry’s Bay. Westen did not comment on or deny this allegation in his statement.
Patrick alleges in the recording that he has observed Westen misleading donors: “I'm aware of several instances of John-Henry soliciting funds from major donors for dedicated projects where cost has been grossly exaggerated to elicit a much higher gift from the donor in question.” In his opinion, “there is no other definition for this than misrepresentation and fraud.”
Westen addresses this allegation in his statement, writing, “Our internal calculation was that the project would cost us $10,000 to produce, a fact which I conveyed to the donor, while also presenting research that showed the general industry cost of producing a similar video series was $80,000… [The donor] very generously responded by making an $80,000 gift to LifeSiteNews. There was no misrepresentation to the donor. None at all.”
Ann, who describes herself as the Director of Advertising and Production, which handles the marketing and video departments, also speaks in the July 2 board meeting. She alleges that her staff “complained about unclear direction from John-Henry, constant changing of direction, lack of planning, and obvious favouritism towards certain employees.”
Ann, speaking about the organization’s focus on sedevacantist content which is hostile to the Pope, claims that her “employees do not agree with John-Henry on video content or editorial content, but they are too afraid to say anything.”
Speaking about the editorial bent of LifeSiteNews, Ann alleges that Westen instructs her team to “spice up titles in captions. i.e. sensationalize them.” She shares her opinion that what ends up published is “overwhelmingly opinionated, negative, and presented in an extremely sensationalized manner.”
Ann says that she is “horrified” by the events which have taken place and gives her opinion that Westen has put the organization and 60 employees and their families at risk.
“Can you imagine the harm that would come to LifeSite if this news became public?,” she asks in the recording. “I feel that I have violated my own moral and ethical code. If John-Henry remains as CEO or as part of this organization, I don't know if I can continue to work here. Knowing what I know, doing so would make me complicit with his reckless and inappropriate behaviour.”
Westen’s statement addresses this allegation, in part, with his own generalization. He states, “I’m not a perfect CEO. In fact, I’ve never claimed to be a great manager. My leadership has always been about vision, direction, and content. My flaws are real and obvious to those close to me, but they are not unethical or illegal.”
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