Leaders were not able to take questions from journalists after last night’s debate because of incidents involving Rebel Media and Ezra Levant.
Evan Balgord
Canadian Anti-Hate Network
Source: @hsnorth_ / X.com
During last night’s English language debate there were a number of heated arguments between Ezra Levant, owner of Rebel Media, and journalists in the media room.
CBC’s David Cochrane describes an incident that happened before the debate even started in which Levant reportedly attempted to hijack a live CBC news broadcast.
Rebel Media and other far-right performance artists had already taken up six of the 17 questions at the French debates last night after threatening to take legal action against the Leaders Debate Commission if they weren’t allowed to pack the room.
As pointed out by Jonathan Goldsbie, Rebel Media “had an outsized presence after the 2021 debates, too.”
The commission told CBC that they weren’t aware that Ezra Levant’s Rebel Media, and a second organization he just founded called ForCanada, were both registered as third-party advertisers for the election. This means that his organizations are registered to be able to engage in partisan activities this election.
Rebel Media has been described as a “hub for right-wing and far-right reaction,” and Levant himself as a “right-wing populist political operator” by academics Neil Wegenschimmel & Neil McLaughlin. Canadian Anti-Hate Network board member Richard Warman filed a criminal complaint against Rebel in 2019, alleging that Rebel News directors violated s. 319(2) of the Criminal Code for wilfully promoting hatred towards the Muslim community.
Taking issue with what he saw as one set of rules for Rebel Media, and another for everybody else in the room, Hill Times Journalist Stuart Benson dressed down Rebel Media and Ezra Levant.
“Don’t you have a third party advertising trust to go take care of?” Benson yelled at Ezra from across the room. “How much did you spend on third party advertising this election between Rebel News and ForCanada – companies you own both of – how much money have you spent to influence this election, I’m assuming in favour of the Conservatives. How much did you spend?
“Rebel News has spent zero,” replied Ezra.
“You can go to Elections Canada right now. Every third party is registered. Search Rebel News [and] ForCanada. You will see clear as day, Ezra Levant, as the owner of both of those companies.”
Ezra says again that Rebel News has spent zero, and accuses Benson of lying again.
“Oh sorry sorry – so the trust is ForCanada, which is owned by you, which is separate from Rebel News, which is also owned by you.”
“You’re completely out of control emotionally and your facts are completely wrong. You’re an embarrassment,” says Ezra.
According to ForCanada’s Third Party’s Interim Campaign Report, made available by Elections Canada, ForCanada has raised over $270,000 to date. They have paid over $150,000 to Rebel Media for services. Of that, $96,050 was for “consulting fees.”
Stuart Benson wasn’t the only journalist who got into a confrontation with Levant.
"What I don't like Ezra is you preventing us from being able to ask questions on behalf of the public,” Ricochet Editor Ethan Cox told Levant, “you created a circus here."
After the debate, commissioner executive director Michel Cormier took the stage and addressed the journalists present: “I’m sorry to announce that there will be no scrum tonight with the leaders because we don’t feel that we can actually guarantee a proper environment for this activity.”
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh addressed journalists later that night at another location, and other parties promised their leaders would be available for interviews in the coming days.
After the debates ended, CBC news journalists addressed what happened. "It is just exhausting and it is the end product of multiple years of rage farming for narrow political gain,” said David Cochrane, “and financial benefit for a very small group of people."
"There were not altercations between journalists inside, said Rosemary Barton, “these were right-wing people who publish their own agenda websites who confronted journalists... these are people who the commission decided to accredit."
Rob McKee, a pastor at a controversial Ottawa church, claimed that an officer with the city’s police force invited him to “numerous” protests.
The 33 people standing together outside the Toronto Exhibition Place, chanting slogans, claim to be made up of members of multiple groups from Southern Ontario.
While the parties accept the final results, baseless claims of a stolen election began to circulate before the polls even opened.