Justin Trudeau’s legal team fought to uphold a judicial review after banning Rebel News from October debates, while four Conservatives—including evasive Peter McKay and defiant Aaron O’Toole—clash tonight in a June 18 debate marred by partisan maneuvering and media avoidance. Jim Kerr-Halios and Richard DeCarry were disqualified without member input, and McKay’s refusal to address tough questions (like Kenney’s "angry" label) hints at fear of scrutiny. The episode ties Trudeau’s legal battles to broader concerns over debate transparency and Conservative infighting, framing both as symptoms of deeper institutional distrust. [Automatically generated summary]
And then the four remaining conservative candidates will battle it out in the English language debates.
I don't have a lot to say about it on this podcast, but I have a three-hour live stream YouTube super chat where we'll cover the debates.
So once you've done tonight's short podcast, click on over and watch the YouTube live stream.
You can see a link to that.
I find that pretty easy.
Find that right on our YouTube page.
If I can, let me invite you to become a premium subscriber to what we call Rebel News Plus.
It's basically the video version of this podcast plus other shows.
It's eight bucks a month, well worth the price.
You can get that at RevelNews.com.
here's the podcast.
Tonight, Justin Trudeau's lawyers battled us again in court today, and four conservatives are battling each other in a debate.
It's June 18, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.
Why should others go to jail when you're the biggest carbon consumer I know?
We have 8,500 customers here, and you won't give them an answer.
The only thing I have to say to the government about why I publish them is because it's my bloody right to do so.
Two things I'd like to tell you about, and then I'd like to invite you to watch the live stream that I'll be hosting on our YouTube channel tonight.
First, this morning, we were back in the Federal Court of Canada for our judicial review hearing in regards to Justin Trudeau's hand-picked Election Debates Commission banning our reporters from attending the national debates last October.
As you know, we won that emergency court hearing in October, and a judge ordered Trudeau's people to let us in literally hours before that debate began.
It was wonderful.
And our reporters asked the best questions of the night and the most questions of the night.
And apropos of Trudeau losing his UN Security Council election yesterday, may I show you one of those questions put by Kian Becky?
Hi, Mr. Trudeau.
Since your multiple use of blackface became an international scandal, Canada's international reputation has been irreparably harmed.
Have you reached out to any African leaders or any leaders from the Middle East to apologize for your conduct?
Canada will continue to engage in a positive, constructive way around the world, standing up for human rights, engaging with leaders right around the world, because we know that promoting our values and prosperity for everyone around the world is good for Canadians and creates better opportunities for everyone.
So that didn't answer the question at all.
Have you spoken to any African leaders or leaders from the Middle East to apologize for your personal conduct?
I have continued to engage with leaders around the world in a responsible way.
During an election campaign, my focus is connecting with Canadians as I was able to tonight.
And I was very pleased to see so many of the questions turned to the environment in all sections.
There was a clear contrast between those on stage who don't think we should be fighting climate change and those of us who do.
And again, we are the only party with a clear plan to fight climate change.
Yeah, Kian knew, didn't he?
The mainstream media all groaned when Trudeau was asked that question by Kian.
But do you really doubt that every African leader thought, no way I'm electing that blackface fool to the UN, even if Canada's state broadcaster has forgiven him?
I think that blackface thing damaged Trudeau globally.
Anyway, big win last year for us in court, but we actually asked for two different things in our lawsuit.
The first was an emergency court injunction letting us in, and we got that, amazing.
But the second that we filed way back then was a larger judicial review to have the courts look through the debate commission's misconduct to review how they made their decisions to fix what's broken.
It wasn't enough that we got in that one time.
We need to fix this partisan censorious board that was just invented by Trudeau to nationalize debates, which is weird in itself.
So today, Trudeau's lawyers went to court to try to get the court to throw out our judicial review.
We were there in court, along with True North and their lawyers, explaining how the matter is still alive and still relevant and how the government needs oversight.
I couldn't watch all of it.
I had to do other things today.
I think it was going for five hours, but I feel great about our lawyers' representations, and I could see the judge was paying close attention.
For example, one of Trudeau's lawyers had said there was no reason for this review at all since the debates commission is just ephemeral.
It's all done now.
I saw the judge weigh in on that and say, yeah, no, there's nothing in the cabinet order that created Trudeau's Debate Commission to suggest it's temporary.
Don't try to trick a judge.
Don't try to bamboozle them.
These same lawyers tried that same tactic back in October that Trudeau's lawyers tried to bamboozle the judge.
I could see it backfire against them.
I guess if you try and trick a judge, you just make the judge all the more attentive and skeptical.
I hope that's what will be happening here.
I'll let you know when we know the result.
You can see the whole story at letusreport.com.
I think it's going to be a tough fight.
The Liberals have so many lawyers.
I think I saw four lawyers for Trudeau talk today so far.
And, you know, it's an uphill battle to begin with, but we're fighting a good fight.
So that's one piece of news.
The other piece of news is that tonight, right now, actually, and that's why we're having a short show tonight, is that we're going to cover live the Conservative Party leaders debate.
I have my quarrels with the whole party and their whole process.
They disqualify two candidates without even letting them present themselves to party members.
Jim Kerr-Halios and Richard DeCarry.
You can take them or leave them.
I'm not on anyone's team, but why weren't they at least to go the distance, allowed to go the distance and let the people vote on them?
Why did some secret party committee meet and nuke the candidates without letting the people choose?
It's so weird.
And the weirdness continued last night, too, at the French language debates.
I'm pleased to say that Aaron O'Toole ended his boycott of Rebel News last night, and it was so normal.
Here's Keen asking him some normal questions and getting some normal answers.
Hi, Aaron.
How are you?
Kean with Rebel News.
We've been trying to catch up with you for quite some time throughout the campaign, and we just wanted to ask a few questions.
We asked every other candidate who showed up today, Leslie didn't show up.
She's studying at home.
We wanted to know if you think the RCMP are systemically racist.
I'm a big, big supporter of those who serve in uniform, obviously, as a veteran, so I have a lot of respect for our police.
And I think during this time, we probably have to reevaluate all of our departments, all of our systems, to make sure that we live up to the high standards that we expect of ourselves.
I think all institutions are doing that.
But I certainly support our people in uniform.
They have a very difficult job to do.
I'm a big fan of community-based policing, building up trust.
So I think you'll see probably more of that approach in the coming years.
Sorry, not Peter McKay, Justin Trudeau.
Sorry, I confused those two.
Justin Trudeau kneeled on Parliament Hill at a rally for Black Lives Matter.
What do you think that meant to Canadians that the Prime Minister kneeled?
And would you, as Prime Minister, ever do the same?
I was more disappointed with the Prime Minister after months of standing in front of his cottage and lecturing Canadians on social distancing, on not appearing in crowds, on living their life and closing businesses, that he would then contravene his own advice to Canadians.
I thought it was quite disappointing, despite the fact that it's important to acknowledge movement and frustrations and some of the anger out there.
But he contradicted his very own advice to Canadians.
It just shows that he's a hypocrite, in my view, and has nothing to do with the issue.
It has to do with his leadership.
He's failed throughout this crisis from beginning to end.
And there's so many reasons why we have to replace him.
And that's what I'm here to do tonight.
Good luck in the debate.
What was so hard about that?
Frankly, I think Kian could have pressed O'Toole harder, but the young lad was probably just shocked that O'Toole wasn't running away again, so good job.
But Peter McKay, for weird reasons or no reasons or whatever reasons, he just keeps running from us, literally running.
Look at this.
Peter, you just did a media availability.
Yeah, I didn't get an answer question.
Why'd you take so few questions?
Peter, why'd you take so few questions?
I want to ask if you'll apologize for calling Jason Keene.
I'm not sure why you took so few questions compared to everyone else.
They told me I was done.
Peter, sorry.
You must be confused.
The escalator was over there.
Would you be able to tell me, will you apologize to Jason Kenney?
Will you apologize to Jason Kenney for calling him angry and dismissing the concerns of Albertans?
I have to go to the water.
Peter, you dismissed the anger in Alberta by calling Jason Kenney an angry man.
Will you apologize for that?
Will you apologize for calling Jason Kenney an angry man?
How come you don't attend media availabilities?
I was on the phone and they didn't select me.
Oh my God, you were so busy that you couldn't get to the previously scheduled media event.
Peter McKay, you sort of look like a coward right now.
Yeah, I don't think so.
It's called winning.
Excuse me.
Oh, no, We're not going to go an elevator arrest.
Sorry, I can't come off this.
He ran into an elevator, so did Keen.
So McKay ran out.
Then he ran to the bathroom.
Then he ran out.
Keen didn't go into the bathroom.
Peter McKay didn't have to pee, so he didn't stay there.
He was in the bathroom and probably said, what am I doing here?
It's just so weird.
I don't get it.
I mean, I met Kian.
He's not everyone's cup of tea, but I would never imagine literally running away from him, even if he had tough questions.
What's he going to do to you, Peter?
His questions sounded pretty normal, at least at the beginning.
I think Kian literally had identical questions for each of the candidates.
Keen got tougher with McKay as McKay got more cowardly.
But look, if you don't want to answer a reporter, don't answer a reporter.
Just stand in silence.
I mean, it looks weird, but running and peeing and hiding and not peeing and having a junior staffer buzz like a bee, that just looks amateurish and weak.
Seriously, if you have something to say to Kian or to me, just say it.
Or if you have nothing to say, then don't say it.
Both of which could be weird.
But what is with running away and being afraid like he's got the plague or something?
Is this all just to please the CBC?
Because Wendy Mansley will call you the N-word if you talk to the rebel or something.
Look, if you can't handle Keen, I'm not sure you're ready to go to battle in a general election against the liberal warm in the media part.
If you're afraid of Kian Beckty or Ezra Levant, I'm pretty sure you're not ready for Xi Jinping or Vladimir Putin either or Donald Trump.
He'll eat you alive.
So yeah, it's pretty weird.
Is This All Just to Please the CBC?00:00:47
Kian will be there again tonight.
I'll be here.
We'll be live streaming the debates with comments.
I'll be here.
Keen will be down there and we'll try and loop in our other talent too.
So big day, big night.
We're going to truncate our regular show tonight because of all this.
But if you're able, please click on over to our YouTube page and watch our live stream.
I imagine I'll be going for a few hours over there, probably three hours at least.
And it's interactive.
If you watch it live, you can do a super chat with us, which is an easy way to make real-time comments like a radio call-in show, but you're typing.
It's pretty fun.
So let me say goodnight to you now.
Full normal show tomorrow.
But for tonight, I think we're going to be on probably for three hours.