Ezra Levant reacts: Jim Karahalios wins in court after the Conservative Party removed him from leadership race

By Ezra Levant
|
May 20, 2020

Liquid syntax error: Error in tag 'subpage' - No such page slug keep_the_pandas

In this clip from today's livestream, Ezra Levant talks about the breaking news that the Ontario Superior Court has ruled against the Conservative Party of Canada, overturning a decision to throw Jim Karahalios out of the leadership race. Karahalios was removed from the race at the behest of Erin O’Toole, who complained about Karahalios’ participation in the race.

Following the court ruling, Karahalios said that “Party appointees should not be allowed to disqualify candidates and that the race,” alluding to the unelected staff that rescinded his nomination earlier in the year.

1/6 This morning, Court ruled in my favour & invalidated DQ from @CPC_HQ ldrshp race, which was imposed at @ErinOTooleMP's request. Even before my DQ, I said Party appointees shouldn't be allowed to DQ candidates & race should be democratically decided by Party members. #cdnpoli
— Jim Karahalios (@jimkarahalios) May 20, 2020

In the 55 page judgement, released just after midnight on Wednesday, the Justice identifies O’Toole as the reason for Karahalios’ censorship, saying that, “after receiving Mr. O’Toole’s complaint and after speaking to Mr. Karahalios, the CRO refused to advance Mr. Karahalios to the Authorized Contestant stage of the Leadership.” He added that “the CRO ordered that the investigation of Mr. O’Toole’s complaint be kept confidential.”

According to the judge, so long as Karahalios meets the fundraising requirements that all of the other leadership candidates met, Karahalios will be considered “a Verified Leadership Candidate in good standing.”

The Justice cited the Bible at the beginning of his ruling against the Conservative Party, saying “But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those who which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.” [Numbers 33:55]

Karahalios has frequently called himself a “thorn” in the side of the Party, and unfortunately for Erin O’Toole, that is not a crime in Canada.

In an email to party members, Karahalios emphasized that he needed to fundraise $100,000 to meet the requirements stipulated by the Court.

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel and never miss our weekday 12pm ET livestreams!

BREAKING NEWS: Jim Karahalios just beat the Conservative Party of Canada in court. (They had thrown him out of the leadership race.)

I'll talk about it on my livestream in one minute, here: https://t.co/ZNImtKOawc .
— Ezra Levant 🇨🇳🦠 (@ezralevant) May 20, 2020