David Menzies condemns Quebec police confiscating Alexa Lavoy’s protest footage—including an SD card—without a warrant, comparing their actions to authoritarian regimes like Venezuela or Iran. Meanwhile, Natalie Klein, a barbershop owner, faces repeated lockdown fines despite withdrawn charges, suggesting government retaliation for her criticism. Menzies also clashes with Justin Trudeau’s RCMP over Liberal candidate Majid Johari’s alleged ties to Iran, citing CSIS investigations and controversial appointments like Omar Khadr’s $10.5M settlement. The episode reveals systemic targeting of dissenters while mainstream media benefits from state funding, exposing a pattern of overreach and selective enforcement. [Automatically generated summary]
Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you, in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favorite rebels.
I'm your host, David Menzies.
Well, a not-so-funny thing happened to our Quebec correspondent, Alexa Lavoy, the other day.
She was covering a story, and for reasons that remain inexplicable, the Quebec City police confiscated equipment, including an SD card, from her cameraman.
Alexa has plenty to say about these law enforcement goons who apparently think they are enforcing the law of Venezuela, not Canada.
So, what's the deal regarding Natalie Klein and the Alberta government?
Natalie operates a barbershop in central Alberta, a barbershop that was fined for illegally reopening during the lockdown.
Those charges were eventually withdrawn by a crown prosecutor.
Victory, right?
Wrong, because the authorities have reissued lockdown tickets to her.
Can you say abuse of regulatory authority?
I can.
Sheila Gunnread has all the details and letters.
We get your letters.
We get them every minute of every day.
And you had plenty to say about my visit to Justin Trudeau's Richmond Hill campaign stop to prop up his disgraced candidate, Majid Johari.
And speaking of disgraceful, not only did Justin not take any questions, but I was actually physically roughed up by his RCMP bodyguards for absolutely no good reason whatsoever.
Those are your rebels.
Now let's round them up.
Okay, everyone.
This is a very serious video because freedom of the press is under attack.
If it hadn't happened to me, it would be hard for me to believe.
First, I'm going to tell you what happened to us, and then I'm going to ask you to help us.
Let me explain.
I went to a shopping center in Quebec City with Guillaume, the freelance journalist, who often works as my cameraman.
Except on this day, Guillaume was working for himself.
That day, we were covering a protest led by Francois Médega, where people were simply going to shop without a mask.
They just wanted to assert their right to walk around freely without face covering.
But here is where things get crazy for me and my friend.
The police were already on scene as Francois led the demonstration into the Walmart.
I follow it because I'm a journalist following this story and so did Guillaume.
Totally normal so far.
Once inside of the Walmart, the protesters took off their masks, so the police moved in to remove them from the store.
Francois was arrested pretty roughly.
And like the journalists that we are, Guillaume and I documented everything.
While I was filming the arrest of Francois, I turned around to realize that Guillaume was surrounded by police.
Two of them were grabbing at his camera, asking him to turn it off.
We are journalists and we don't turn off our camera for anybody, especially not in a public place where there is no presumption of privacy and a new worthy event is happening.
I started filming what was happening to Guillaume because I didn't know if he was able to film or if the police had turned his camera off.
One officer ordered Guillaume to turn his camera over to the police so that they could have it for evidence on court.
Since when in Canada do we size journalists' camera for evidence in court?
If the police want evidence, they can use their own body camera.
They can use the surveillance footage at the Walmart.
The only reason to size our footage would be to hide how the police handled the demonstration that day.
So I told the policeman that he had no warrant and no right to take our equipment and he say he didn't need it.
They even took the cameras back, claiming they didn't know what was inside it.
Unfreaking believable, pardon my French.
Since when did law enforcement in Quebec take their cues from how police treat journalists in such countries as, oh, I don't know, Venezuela and Iran, what a disgraceful example of police, of policing, in which the police actually broke the very law that they have been entrusted to uphold.
And joining me now with more on this story is our Quebec-based reporter, Alexa Lavoy.
Bonjour, Alexa.
Bonjour, David.
So, Alexa, I really couldn't believe my eyes watching this video.
Simply put, the police, they just can't confiscate property without a search warrant.
So the question is this: are these bully boy cops ignorant of the law or do they simply not care?
Actually, they are just not caring about what I was saying because I told them, I told them what is the law and what they answered to me.
I'm a journalist, not a lawyer.
But I was like, if you know them journalists, you probably know that you cannot take our property, our footage.
So why are you doing that to us?
And Alexa, that is indeed the crux of the matter.
Why were they taking our property?
Why did they want the footage on that SD card in the first place?
They say that they want this for proof in court, but I was like, okay, but Walmart have surveillance camera and the shopping mall as well.
And you have your body camera.
Why taking our footage for proof?
It's the only footage that we have that you will probably don't like.
It's always your behavior against us.
So I don't know why they wanted our footage instead of taking the footage from the shopping mall.
I don't get that.
No, I don't get it either.
In fact, Alexa, if what they say is true, we wanted video evidence of you being in this Walmart store.
Well, their body cams and the Walmart surveillance footage would be superior evidence because they're showing the macro view.
They're showing you, the photographer.
Otherwise, the photographer, he's not in his own camera lens of what he's shooting.
So it doesn't make sense to me.
I think it's more like they wanted to show their power.
They wanted to, again, abuse of their power against us.
At the beginning, they didn't want it just the SD card.
They wanted the full camera, keeping a camera that have a really, not just a big value, but it's our tool for work.
So why taking not only this, but the camera as well?
And when I say you have no warrant to take it and you have no authorization, they say, I will call my superior.
And if they say that something else, I will give you back your camera.
I was like, no, it's not how it would work.
Give us our stuff, our tool and our camera back, because I'm not giving you my authorization and I'm not going to anything that you can take this from us and you have no warrant.
So if you want to keep it, give me your warrant from the court.
Oh, 100%, Alexa.
I mean, I think what I would have said to them is, oh, Newsflash, the law applies to your supervisor too.
I mean, it's just unbelievable.
Tell me a hypothetical question, Alexa.
If your photographer, if he had turtled, if he held on to his camera and said, no, this is mine, you don't have a warrant, do you think things could have gotten ugly?
Yes.
So actually, at the beginning, they stopped the camera on the camera of my friend, Guillaume.
They literally take the camera on his neck, stop it, and they grab the camera on his neck and they remove it because he didn't want it and he didn't give them the authorization to take it.
And because of that, the police officer started to be really arrogant and passionate and he yelled to him, give me your camera.
Do not argue.
It's a proof in court.
And I was like, what?
You know, it's amazing, Alexa.
I mean, I go back to April when we had the houseboat rented in Montreal.
We were four people under capacity.
We had a 10 and a half hour showdown with the police.
They were going to, I understand, multiple judges trying to get a search warrant.
And when the judge would hear what the reason was, he was saying, are you kidding me?
But that was, I thought, a total abuse of their authority.
And for what?
You want to go on the houseboat and search the belongings and the rooms of journalists?
I mean, we're not, you know, a drug cartel that just came down the St. Lawrence.
So there's just something really weird about the policing in Quebec, based on that incident and based on what happened to you, which I thought was so outrageous.
But tell me, Alexa, that was several days ago.
Do you have any update for us right now?
Has the police reached out to us?
Has there been any apology?
Has the equipment been returned?
Anything like that?
Not at all.
We have actually, Rebel News have sent like a letter to claim that we want our property back to us, but we don't have any update and no nothing like no call, no apologize.
And I actually had another like interaction with another police that were really aggressive.
last night with me just because he saw the rebel news like outlet on me.
So I was like, what is going on with the police with like Rebel News?
Why being as aggressive to us?
I'm probably sure that they will not doing that to CBC or TVA or other like media.
It's just because it's probably us.
We make them like afraid.
I don't know.
Oh, Alexa, let me tell you, my friend, if that happened to a CBC journalist, there'd already be a royal commission struck right now to find out why that journalist was so mistreated.
Well, listen, it was an outstanding video.
It's an outrageous video.
And I feel that the cops are going to learn the hard way in court.
They cannot operate above the law, even though they are police.
Alexa, you have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
You too.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
And that was Alexa Lavoy in Quebec City.
Keep it here, folks.
More of Rubble Roundup to come right after this.
Oh, it's been stressful.
But, you know, I have confidence in my legal defense, my counsel, Chad Williamson at Williamson Law.
And he's been fantastic with handling all these court proceedings.
And, you know, I really can't wait for my day in court on September 13th.
But I think it does take someone to stand up and put their foot down and say, enough's enough of this BS.
And at the end of the day, I'm still going to open my business.
I'm still going to be here.
Still Charging Ahead00:12:54
I'm not going to mandate any vaccine passport or any ask for any medical history from anybody.
And whether someone chooses to walk through my door and support me, I will always be here, regardless of your medical status, race, anything.
Natalie was immediately recharged with those same offenses, the same ones that were previously withdrawn by the Crown Prosecution.
We're alleging that this take back of the withdrawal and a reissuing of these identical charges amounts to an abuse of process.
Central Alberta businesswoman Natalie Klein is suing the government and the police for abuse of process in her COVID lockdown ticket case, but she needs our help to do it.
Warning, censorship.
Warning, censorship.
Do you remember Natalie Klein?
She's the Central Alberta barbershop owner who defied the lockdown restrictions on personal care businesses.
She reopened her barbershop to the open arms of her community and I guess to some extent the jealousy and resentment of other local area salon owners who are unwilling or unable to take the same stand she did.
Well, in Natalie's case, the customers came to support Natalie, but the cops also came and so did Alberta Health Services inspectors.
They issued her tickets and they tried multiple times to close her down.
But Natalie inspired others to stand up and reopen their businesses too.
And her act of rebellion made the Jason Kenney so-called conservative government roll back restrictions on salons and barbershops.
And oh, by the way, did I mention Natalie Klein is also the niece of late great conservative premier Ralph Klein, beloved still by so many people and so well respected in official conservative circles, including those frequented by Premier Jason Kenney himself.
Now, when Natalie Klein got her lockdown tickets, we were there to help, all of us, you and me.
We offered Natalie some legal help through fightthefines.com.
That's our largest civil liberties project to date.
We use crowdfunding and an important partnership with the registered Canadian charity, the Democracy Fund, to connect average people, the victims of the lockdown, with top criminal and civil litigators to fight their lockdown tickets in court at no cost to those who are getting the tickets.
And in Natalie's case, it worked.
Natalie's two lockdown tickets were tossed out.
She and her lawyer, Chad Williamson, from Williamson Law, both received a letter from the Crown prosecutor in the case confirming that her tickets were withdrawn.
It was an exciting day.
I was actually there with Natalie in front of the Red Deer Hotel Conference Center that was doubling as a COVID court the day she got the news.
But then the police recharged Natalie for the same offense, even though the Crown threw her tickets out.
The police wanted another kick at the can, even after the prosecutor said the whole affair should be said and done and over.
Well, it doesn't work like that in Canada.
The police can't keep charging you and charging you and charging you until they finally get the result they want.
The police and the government here are abusing the process, continuing to put Natalie Klein through the ringer over and over again.
Why?
Because she stood up and she spoke out and she encouraged others to do the same.
So Natalie is suing the government for abuse of process and we're helping her do it.
Well, folks, as the old saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a strong offense.
And that is exactly what Ms. Klein is doing now.
She's standing up to the bullies in the Alberta government who are seemingly on some sort of vindictive jihad to shut her business down.
But beyond that, what is this business of the authorities constantly charging Natalie over and over again on the same withdrawn charges, no less, until they can finally get a result to their liking?
Unbelievable.
And joining me now for more on this story is Sheila Gunread.
How you doing there, Sheila?
I'm great, David.
Thanks for having me on the show.
Fantastic.
Always a pleasure.
Sheila, surely what's been happening to Natalie is not a thing.
This business of getting prosecuted on the same charges over and over again.
This has got to be abuse of authority, no?
Well, that's what we think, and that's what Natalie thinks, and that's what her lawyer Chad Williamson thinks, that this is a charter violation, and it is also abusive process.
These tickets were withdrawn.
I was there the day that Natalie got the news.
We were overjoyed because Chad Williamson had effectively worked with the Crown to get these charges withdrawn.
And then the police and Alberta Health Services recharged her with the same tickets.
And so, you know, thank goodness for fight the fines because what person could go up against a government that just goes from bureaucracy to bureaucracy, trying to recharge you and find you guilty over and over again of the same thing.
I'm so glad we're able to help Natalie.
First, we've got to get rid of those tickets, but at the same time, we're going to sue the government for abusing their power and abusing the process by continuing to go after Natalie after a crown prosecutor has said, this is not in the interest of the public.
We probably can't make these things stick.
Let's get rid of them.
The police can't overrule the crown when they do those sorts of things.
Sheila, Chad is a legal superstar.
I mean, I can think of a few other lawyers I'd want in my corner other than Chad.
He's so good.
What has he told you about what Natalie is going through?
Is this, I don't want to use the word unprecedented if that's not the right word, but it must be so rare.
Yeah, it's certainly something that does not happen all the time.
And in the video, Chad's comments sort of allude to the fact that they are making an example of Natalie because she said disparaging things, rightfully so, about the government and their attacks on small business in the media.
She's been highly critical of Alberta Health Services.
And so they are using the police to execute a vendetta against her and punish her for her political comments that she's made in the media.
And I think they're trying to really make an example of her, trying to show other businesses, if you speak up, we're going to come for you.
If you reopen, we're going to come for you.
And if we do charge you, you better shut up about it.
But, you know, Sheila, in the department of when it rains, it pours, hasn't Natalie Klein suffered enough?
You have another video on a completely different subject matter involving Ms. Klein.
It's her adverse reaction to the vaccine.
Why are they, you know, I'm getting a little emotional here because I don't understand that with all the arduous difficulty she had to go through in maintaining a business and creating a livelihood for her family, she's also got side effects from the shot and still they're going after this woman?
Why?
Yeah, they're treating her like public enemy number one.
And all she did was open her three-chair barbershop.
That's all she did.
She has three chairs in her barbershop.
Nobody's in there that doesn't want to be in there.
The community came out to support her.
She's not running around to people's houses and cutting their hair in their sleep against their will.
She opened her little tiny barbershop.
She was only seeing one client at a time inside her barbershop.
She was using all the sanitary protocols that the government was telling her a couple weeks earlier would be enough to keep her barbershop open.
That's what she originally received the tickets for.
And this after Jason Kenney thanked personal care businesses for the job they did during the pandemic and apologized for unfairly targeting them.
Then he closed her business.
She reopens.
She gets these two tickets.
She fights the tickets.
Tickets get thrown out.
The government recharges her with the tickets.
She's got to continue to fight those.
In the meantime, her mom is sick.
So she takes the Moderna vaccine.
Even though she was skeptical about it, but she wanted to do her part.
She has a cascade of catastrophic reactions, a stroke, heart problems, twice nearly going into cardiac arrest.
She's dealing with lasting neurological issues from this.
And the government is still pursuing her like she's the second half of Bonnie and Clyde.
Know how any of this and all these wasted resources are in the public's interest.
She's not a danger to anybody.
The government is a danger to her.
Oh, I totally agree.
But, Sheila, on the subject of the science, it's all about the science.
You mentioned the sanitary and hygiene protocols that barbershops adhere to.
Long before anyone ever heard of COVID, these kind of shops adhered to a higher level of sanitation and hygiene than the average, oh, I don't know, big box store, which was still allowed to operate, cramming hundreds into their facilities.
How does that make sense?
I don't understand, Sheila.
Well, that's the thing.
That's why Natalie reopened because she's like, you can go into the Walmart, buy your own clippers with a million other people, walk through the store, touch everything.
That's fine.
But you couldn't come be the only person in her barbershop and get a haircut from her when she is following the highest standards of health protocols.
She's like, I know how to make sure that you don't get hepatitis and lice.
Surely I can make sure that you don't get a cough.
And yet that wasn't enough.
But apparently not.
One last question, Sheila.
Family relationships aside, if the late great Ralph Klein was still among the living, what do you think he'd have to say about this story?
I'm a bit of a scholar on Ralph Klein, and I know that one of the things that he was most brave about, one of the things that the left most hates about him and that conservatives most revere about him, is that he was scared of no one and he was scared to do like he was never scared off anything.
Based on pressure from the media and based on pressure from the public sector unions and we know a lot of this pandemic hysteria is driven by both the media and the public sector unions.
Jace I almost said Jason Kenney, as though he were Ralph Klein, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Ralph Klein stared down the public sector unions and the health care unions and made cuts where he needed to um, and he wasn't scared to do what was right for Albertans.
And I think Jason Kenney is more scared of the public sector unions and the media than he is scared of the wrath of Albertans, and I think that's the difference between the two men.
I think you're right, Sheila.
And how sad.
Be it the municipal, the provincial and even the federal level, where have all the Ralph Kleins gone to?
How sad, Sheila.
It was an excellent piece.
I hope things get uh better for Natalie and I know you'll be uh keeping tabs on that and I hope she slaughters the government with this uh suit coming up.
She sure as heck deserves it, at least in my book.
So thank you, my friend, and you have a great weekend.
Thanks David, and if people want to help Natalie fight the government, they can donate at fightthefines.com.
She's just one of nearly 2500 other people that were helping take on their lockdown tickets fines, infractions and sometimes criminal charges in court.
Fantastic, thanks so much, Sheila.
And that was Sheila Gun Read somewhere in the northern hinterland of Alberta, keep it here, folks.
More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
Justin Trudeau's Surprise Visit00:08:42
Mr. Schurro, why don't you take a day off campaigning and work the phones in terms of the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis?
Again, you guys aren't walking into me.
You know that.
You just put on my head.
No no no, you walked into me.
I was just standing there.
I was standing there 10 minutes ago.
No no, you walked into me.
Sir, that's technically assault.
Okay, you should know that.
If you're an officer of the law, Why do you call Mr. Johari a good man?
Mr. Trudeau?
He supports the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, Iran.
Wow.
David Mendes for Rebel News here in Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Well, folks, we are at a gathering of food trucks.
That's not the story, of course.
I wish them well.
But we're here because we've been tipped off that Justin Trudeau is going to be dropping by to prop up, if you can believe it, the disgrace of a liberal candidate that is Majid Johari.
This is the man who props up the Iranian regime, much to the chagrin of so many Persians that are a significant minority here in Richmond Hill.
Do you remember me trying to scrum Mr. Johari last Saturday?
Check it out.
Please wait.
Even liberals have denounced you, Mr. Johari.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Can you?
You are associated with someone who is under investigation by CSIS who has contributed to your campaign.
What do you have to say about that?
I've responded to that question already.
Okay, can you respond right now, sir?
That was in a social gathering and when was that picture taken?
Hey, how are you doing, officer?
Good.
Are you here for me?
You've been called for something.
Okay.
Okay, stop.
Why are you walking so close to me?
Stop, because you're in my area.
But you told me to come outside and I acquiesced to your demand, Mr. Johari.
I've answered all your questions.
It's better that you stop.
Maybe this is a case for a detective or something to look into.
I mean, you're telling me CSIS is investigating.
I think it's a whole hard face dealer.
Okay, okay, then.
Okay, so we're going to wait here.
We're going to wait for the arrival of Prime Minister Trudeau and Mr. Johari.
And we're going to try to ask questions.
I'm not hopeful of answers, but we're going to ask questions nevertheless.
Hey, Prime Minister Trudeau, why are you supporting somebody that supports the Iranian regime?
Mr. Trudeau, why are you supporting a candidate here, Majid Johari, that supports the Iranian regime?
Can you answer that?
Mr. Trudeau, what do you say about our disgrace in Afghanistan?
Mr. Trudeau, why do you support a candidate who associates with somebody who is under CSIS investigation, who has been described as a threat to national security?
Mr. Trudeau, why are you walking into me, sir?
I can reach over if I want.
I'm in a public place.
Who are you?
Oh, really?
Okay, can I see your ID?
Can I see your ID, sir?
Stand below.
Okay, what's your name and badge number?
I'm not getting into that right now.
Okay, well, I'm in a public place.
in a public place and I'm not moving okay I'm in a public place sir Well, you got into my face.
I'm trying to film the prime minister.
What do you think it is?
A gun?
Come on, give me a break.
Mr. Trudeau, why do you support a candidate who supports the Iranian regime?
Why are you bumping into me?
Why are you getting your camera in my face?
I'm not.
You're getting in my face.
Mr. Trudeau, what do you say about us leaving our Afghanistan allies behind?
Why have you called this election, Mr. Trudeau?
Mr. Trudeau, why won't you answer the questions?
Well, that was the scene last Friday when Justin Trudeau and his not ready for prime time players, aka his thuggish mounty bodyguards, who like to literally step on my toes for reasons that elude me, dropped by Richmond Hill to prop up one of the more odious members of the Liberal Party of Canada, that being Majeet Johari, aka the Persian Pinocchio.
In any event, you had plenty to say about yet another disgraceful event on the Trudeau 2021 campaign trail.
John Doherty writes, how dare you do journalism during a stage media event?
Grrr.
Yes, John, apparently asking questions of Justin during selfie time is a hate crime.
Either that or our prime minister is deaf.
Paul Hyde writes, get the faces of the media boarding the other red bus.
Oh, Paul, I often tried to do just that, but they literally run away when they see me coming.
Remember when I walked up to the Globe and Mail reporter Mariki Walsh a few weeks ago in Barrie, Ontario?
Here, check it out.
Are you with the mainstream media?
Oh, it says meeting Marika Walsh.
Just wondering, getting government money, do you think you can objectively report on Prime Minister Trudeau, Mariki?
Ms. Walsh, are you able to be non-biased in your reporting, even though you're getting paid by the Trudeau Liberals?
Yeah, so how does that three blind mice lyric go?
Oh, yes, see how they run, see how they run.
And hey, how do you like it, folks, that your tax dollars are propping up these cowardly stenographers?
John Doe writes, David, you are doing an amazing job.
Rebel News needs funding to ensure your continued coverage of this election.
Here is my $200 now.
Wow, John, thank you so much for the kind words and thank you so much also for your generosity.
It's funny, some in the mainstream media mock us for our crowdfunding initiatives, but to me, this is the most honest way of raising money, simply asking for it.
Compare that to the mainstream media folks that embraces a negative option billing system.
You know, your donation to these lapdogs come out of your paycheck on a regular basis, whether you like it or not.
SC writes, I'm surprised Trudeau didn't run into Doug Ford at the cheesecake truck.
Oh, poor Premier Ford.
I guess his staff forgot to tell him that there was a ton of cherry cheesecake waiting for him in Richmond Hill that day.
Oh, heads are going to roll on this one, I'll tell you folks.
Turbo TDI writes, that was juicy, but he's a drama teacher and there was sure a lot of drama.
Hey, Turbo TDI, get your facts right.
Justin Trudeau was a part-time drama teacher, okay?
Stop insulting all the full-time drama teachers who toil in our great dominion, will you?
Jacob Urban writes, Johari loves Iran more than he loves Canada.
Well, you know, Jacob, I've lived in Richmond Hill for more than 20 years now.
This city has a significant Iranian population.
And I'll tell you, the Persians I have met here are great people, folks who fled the Islamo-fascist regime that their homeland had become after the 1979 revolution.
It is downright baffling that the pro-regime Johaori is a member of parliament.
But then again, let it be said, these liberals have an inexplicable soft spot in their hearts for terrorism, don't they?
Some examples.
In addition to Johari, we have our own homegrown al-Qaeda terrorist and murderer, Omar Khadar, receiving $10.5 million for essentially suffering from hurt feelings.
And let's not forget that during his disastrous India trip, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invites along Jaspaul Atwall, who is a member of an illegal Sikh separatist group and who was convicted of attempted murder.
Then there was Mark Garneau the other day suggesting that it's possible Canada might recognize the Taliban as the new government of Afghanistan.
And of course, we had the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, aka Maryam Monsef of No Fixed Address, referring to the butchers and barbarians that make up the Taliban as brothers.
Rebel Roundup Wraps Up00:00:11
Yep, I don't get it either.
Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.
Thanks so much for joining us.
See you next week.
And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there can be no glory.