Democracy Fund lawyer shares update on Amish facing ArriveCAN penalties
Lawyer Mark Joseph updates Ezra Levant on efforts to defend Ontario Amish facing fines and property liens for skipping Trudeau's ArriveCAN app.
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Tonight, an update on the Amish—the ones that the government punished for not downloading the ArriveCAN app.
This week, Ezra returned to Chatsworth, a small rural community about two and a half hours northwest of Toronto. Nine months ago, Rebel News and our partners at The Democracy Fund made a promise to the Amish living in the area: we would help them fight one of the most outrageous examples of government overreach we've ever encountered.
If you're unfamiliar with the Amish, they are a strict Christian denomination that immigrated to North America as refugees from Central Europe generations ago. They are pacifists who believe in living simply and rejecting modern technology. They don’t drive cars, don’t use smartphones, and don’t have electricity in their homes. Even in 2025, they travel by horse and carriage. It's a difficult lifestyle by modern standards, but for the Amish, it’s a daily expression of their faith.
Then the pandemic happened.
When Amish families crossed into the United States to visit relatives in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New York—home to other Amish communities—they were met with a new requirement upon re-entry into Canada: “Have you downloaded the ArriveCAN app on your smartphone?”
Of course, they hadn’t. They don’t own smartphones. For many of them, "app" isn’t even a word they use, and "ArriveCAN" is a meaningless term even to most regular Canadians. So naturally, they hadn't downloaded it.
Some of them mistakenly believed ArriveCAN was related to masking rules, and assumed they were exempt due to their religious beliefs. So, they carried on with their lives.
Unbeknownst to them, every time they crossed the border without using the app, they were fined between $5,000 and $6,000.
Then came the shock. One day, several Amish discovered that liens had been placed on their farmhouses. A lien is a legal claim on property that blocks its sale, inheritance, or refinancing until an outstanding debt is paid. And suddenly, dozens of Amish families found their homes legally frozen, without even knowing why.
They didn’t understand what a lien was. They didn’t know how it got there. And they didn’t know where to turn. The Amish are pacifists. They avoid confrontation. And they tend to submit quietly to authority, even when mistreated.
But this was different. A heavy and punishing hand had come down on them, and they had no idea what they’d done wrong.
Thankfully, they had a friend on the outside—a non-Amish man named Grant, who followed Rebel News and The Democracy Fund.
Grant kept his promise to help the Amish, and so did The Democracy Fund. Over the past nine months, Democracy Fund lawyers Mark Joseph and Adam Blake-Gallipeau have spent countless hours meeting with Amish families face-to-face, helping them navigate a legal nightmare.
These weren’t just ordinary fines. These were fines that aged out. Because the Amish don’t use email or fax machines, they didn’t receive notice. Years passed, and by the time they found out, the cases had effectively gone "cold." Now, they are trying to reopen convictions and request rehearings, years after the fact.
Although the ArriveCAN app was a federal mandate designed by Justin Trudeau's government, it was the province of Ontario, Doug Ford and his prosecutors, who carried on the case with a vengeance. For some bizarre reason, they went hard against the Amish for nine months, with the government showing no mercy. But slowly and steadily, the Democracy Fund’s legal team began breaking open these cases. In many instances, the fines have now been withdrawn.
Just imagine it: you go to see a lawyer for what you think is a minor ticket, only to learn your family farmhouse has a government lien on it. The shock. The fear.
Thankfully, The Democracy Fund is there to help.
Mark Joseph, one of the lawyers working for The Democracy Fund and the Amish, joins the show tonight to give an update on the progress made and what comes next.
GUEST: Mark Joseph, litigation director at The Democracy Fund.
COMMENTS
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Fran g commented 2025-06-14 12:35:51 -0400I doubt the Amish would want MSM to be there any way with their insensitive questions etc -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-06-12 20:37:08 -0400Bullies like the feds love picking on those who won’t fight back. I’m glad somebody is reporting on this. The narrative media won’t so it’s up to independent media to take up the slack. It’s why I follow Rebel News and help out when I can.
