Let Us Report!

We lost our court case against the CRA. The bill is over $100,000.

Bad news. We just lost our court case against the Canada Revenue Agency.

The case was about one question: does a committee hand-picked by Justin Trudeau get to decide who is a journalist in Canada? The Federal Court of Appeal says it does.

I really need your help. The legal bill for this fight is now over $100,000, and the court ordered us to pay the government's costs on top of our own.

Here's the ruling. You can read it for yourself at our website, LetUsReport.com: Rebel News Network Ltd. v. Attorney General of Canada, 2026 FCA 170 (PDF)

Or watch this short video. I'll explain what happened and what we do next.

What the case was about

Quick reminder: A few years ago Trudeau invented a government licence for journalists called the QCJO – Qualified Canadian Journalism Organization. Outlets that get that licence collect payroll subsidies, and their subscribers get a tax break. The licence is handed out by a panel that Trudeau appointed.

Rebel News does not take government money. We never will. So we didn't apply for the money. We applied for one reason: to force the government to say, in writing, whether it thinks we're journalists.

It did. A panel hand-picked by Justin Trudeau's government decided that Rebel News, with reporters in courtrooms, at Parliament and on the streets of every big city in the country, is not "qualified." Meanwhile the newspapers and broadcasters Ottawa approves of collect payroll subsidies, and their subscribers got a tax break that ours were denied.

What the court decided

Now, the courts didn't make their own judgment about us. They deferred to Trudeau's committee. A committee now decides who counts as a journalist in Canada, and the courts say that's fine.

Today it's Rebel News. The next government can use the same tool on anyone.

What we do next

I think a normal person would pay the bill, go quiet and stop criticizing the government. That's the rational thing to do. But I'm a free man in a free country, and we don't need Ottawa's permission to report the news.

So here is the plan. Three things.

Pay the bill. Over $100,000. That's the cost of making the government show its hand, and I'd do it again. But it has to be paid, and soon.
Review an appeal. Our lawyer, Robert Hawkes, is studying whether we can ask the Supreme Court of Canada to hear the case. We have about 60 days to decide. [CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL] I'll tell you the moment we do, either way.
Get ready for the censorship fights of the Carney era. They're already here. Bill C-9 puts the government's definition of "hatred" into the Criminal Code and lets a judge put conditions on you for something you haven't said yet. Bill C-22 makes it easier for police to get your information from your phone and internet company, some of it without a warrant. Bill C-34 creates a new government commission over social media with the power to decide what's "harmful." We will be in court on those, and court costs money. I'd rather raise it now than beg for it in the middle of a trial.

Please help.

We've beaten them before

We've beaten the federal government before: twice against the Leaders' Debates Commission, and four times when cabinet ministers blocked our reporters on social media. We lost this one. But we'll win the next.

If you have ever watched a Rebel News video, if you have ever felt like we stood up for you against the bullies, well, this is the time to help us in return.

There's a silver lining in this ruling. In three separate places, the court says the government cannot use our political opinions to grant or take away our rights. That's a line we will hold them to in every censorship fight to come.

If you'd rather send a cheque, make it out to Rebel News Network Ltd. and mail it to PO Box 61056, Eglinton/Dufferin RO, Toronto, Ontario M6E 5B2.

From the courtroom: our coverage of this case

September 24, 2025: the hearing at the Federal Court of Appeal in Toronto. Here's what I said when I walked out after three hours.

That morning, before we went in:

Today the Federal Court of Appeal will decide if Mark Carney can enforce the QCJO journalism license — a dangerous violation of press freedom.

Only Rebel News is challenging it. Read both our legal brief and Carney’s at https://t.co/A1HVDij0EA — and pls chip in if you can. pic.twitter.com/tOUCtfUN3b
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025

September 19, 2024: the day we lost in the lower court, and decided to appeal.

Four different news companies, each with the identical story. There’s at least a dozen.

It’s because they use a newswire.

But that’s the reason Trudeau’s censorship committee said we don’t make “original news” and thus aren’t real journalists. Stand by for more shortly. pic.twitter.com/M4zMhOxP75
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 19, 2024