LIVE UPDATES: Ezra Levant appeals 'Libranos' book conviction in Federal Court
Follow along for updates in this important fight for press freedom.
Ezra Levant is at the Federal Court of Canada this morning, facing a trial for penning The Libranos, a 2019 bestseller that examined the corruption that swirls around Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal cabinet.
During the run-up to 2019's federal election, 24 books were published about Trudeau — but only one, The Libranos, was critical of the prime minister. It surely must have infuriated Trudeau, as Elections Canada assigned more than a dozen staff to investigate the book's author, Ezra Levant.
Four years later, and already faced with thousands in fines and $100,000 in legal fees, the fight is now in the Federal Court.
Follow along for updates as Ezra Levant and Rebel News fight back to stop this dangerous precedent from being set:
BREAKING: I’m in Federal Court against Trudeau today — he’s trying to censor my book about him.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I’m sending this from the Federal Court of Canada.
For the next eight hours I will be on trial for writing a book called The Libranos.
There is an army of lawyers here from the…
Rebel lawyer Aaron Rosenberg: s. 2(b) of the Charter protects our freedom of expression.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Elections Canada admits they violated our freedom -- they just say it's justified.
Rebel lawyer Aaron: the book exemption is vague, and therefore unconstitutional.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
That's spot-on. Trudeau's investigators attacked us for "timing" a book for the election. But that's not what the law forbids -- but the vagueness lets them get away with it.
So I'm an author on trial today for publishing a book (The Libranos) that police claim is too critical of Trudeau, so it constitutes an illegal election expense and needs to be registered with the government.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Why not a peep from @caj @cjfe @amnestyca @pencanada @cancivlib?
Justice Strickland is asking a series of questions to Rebel lawyer Aaron that seem unsettlingly fine with the idea of publishers being required to disclose their publication plans to the government.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Creepy.
I mean, why stop there? The same law exempts "the transmission to the public of an editorial, a debate, a speech, an interview, a column, a letter, a commentary or news".
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Should they each have to meet with the government to prove their innocence, too?
This judge seems just fine with the idea of authors being summoned to disclose their plans to the government.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Terrifying.
Court is on break until 11 a.m.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Court is back. Justice Strickland presiding. An Elections Canada lawyer is on her feet.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Elections Canada says the focus of their prosecution was that we shouldn't be allowed to promote the book on lawn signs. She says that's illegal.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
It means that any book publisher that plans to publish their book to coincide with an election is by definition illegal.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Elections Canada's lawyer tells the court that my book The Libranos, and our promotion of that book, is an illegal campaign ad.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Even though the law specifically exempts books and the promotion of books.
This is the first time in history a book has been prosecuted by them.
2. My book, The Libranos, is for sale at a commercial price. But they're saying because it was timed for the election, it fails the second part -- it wasn't "planned to be made available to the public regardless of whether there was to be an election".
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
4. Trudeau's lawyer are saying that by virtue of timing my book to the campaign, it became illegal propaganda. The other 23 books that were released at the same time were fine. Not mine.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Sorry, that's political corruption of Elections Canada.
5. What's so gross is that I'm sitting here in court with seven government lawyers coming for me, plus a dozen Elections Canada staff at their headquarters. So about 20 bureaucrats coming for me for embarrassing Trudeau.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Instead of investigating China's election interference.
Elections Canada's lawyer has repeatedly mentioned that my book (and me) oppose Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
They're obsessed by that. Trudeau has truly colonized Elections Canada. It's the number one thing that their lawyer has mentioned today.
They're furious.
"Look at the intention of the publisher!"
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I swear to God, Elections Canada's lawyer says that is the reason to regulate my book.
Elections Canada's lawyer is going through our Rebel News tweets, giving them as evidence that we should be regulated because we weighed in on the election.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Elections Canada quotes David Menzies, our reporter, who cheekily called for "regime change" on election day.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Elections Canada says that's a reason why my book should be regulated and censored.
I keep scratching my head about the silence of the "literary" community in Canada about Trudeau's censorship.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
But they never really cared about freedom of speech -- they just cared about their own freedom of speech. They sort of like are censored.
I swear to God, Elections Canada's lawyer is complaining about this! They say this is one of the reasons they convicted us of publishing an illegal book! https://t.co/25X4Gz5UTW
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
🚨Elections Canada lawyer admission: "this decision may actually have an impact on Rebel News freedom of the press."
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Court breaks until 1 p.m. for lunch.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
We're back at the Federal Court of Canada. Justice Strickland presiding. Trudeau's Justice Department now presenting.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
They say it's impossible for my Charter rights to have been violated by the Canadian Elections Act, because that act actually protects my freedom. (Huh?)
Trudeau's lawyers say the constitutionality of the law has already been proven in a case led by Stephen Harper years ago: https://t.co/c7lLCz1Nc5
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
But of course that law didn't test police review of books and authors.
Trudeau's lawyers say what happened to me was perfectly constitutional.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
They say nothing was done wrong.
Not the police interrogation.
Not the police asking about my editorial plans.
Not the thousands of dollars in fines.
"All constitutional!"
Trudeau's lawyer just said that the law does not actually limit expressive freedom.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I was literally fined $3,000 for writing a book called called Justin Trudeau a "Librano".
Trudeau's lawyer refers to the Harper case, which was about "third party" campaign groups.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I'm not a third party campaign group. I'm an author who wrote a book.
Trudeau is weaponizing the state to silence his critics.
By the way, I'm all alone in court. Seven people on the Trudeau side. Just me and my lawyer (and he paralegal) on my side.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Huge courtroom. 180 Queen Street West. Not a single reporter, journalism advocate or civil liberties activist.
Sort of sad -- for Canada.
I'm trying to imagine what it would be like if Stephen Harper had weaponized Elections Canada against left-wing authors when he was PM. It's unthinkable that Harper would have done it, but if he had, the reaction from civil society would have been loud, sustained and unanimous.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer is going on at great length about electoral finance and "third party advertising".
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I wrote a book. One of 24 books about Trudeau that year.
The other 23 were left alone.
Only mine was prosecuted.
Trudeau's lawyers are talking about oligarchs trying to buy their way into elections through third party spending.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
What on earth does that have to do with me writing a book?
It's an attempt to switch the subject and distract.
Oh my God -- Trudeau's Justice Department lawyer just said "unregulated media" are a threat to elections in Canada.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer: we need to prosecute The Libranos because it's not really a book, it's really an anti-Trudeau political campaign.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
P.S. That same logic doesn't apply to pro-Trudeau books.
Trudeau's lawyer: we need to prosecute The Libranos, to "level the playing field of electoral discourse"
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer: it's not enough that their censorship of my book "may" chill free expression. I have to prove that it chilled free expression -- or else, it's perfectly fine.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I am not making this up.
Trudeau's lawyer: the fact that pro-Trudeau books continue to published show that there isn't a chilling effect.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
I swear to God he said that.
Trudeau's lawyer: we can't presume that censoring The Libranos will have a chilling effect.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyers are just like him -- completely brazen, saying absurd things with a straight face, and just daring you to object.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
They fined me $3,000 for writing a book criticizing Trudeau. And then they say it's fine, because pro-Trudeau books are not chilled.
Trudeau's lawyer: "a requirement of advance planning... is not obviously impracticable."
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer is saying that, as an author, I must disclose my publishing plans to the government in advance.
And that's what the judge seemed to supporter earlier today.
Trudeau's lawyer refers to George Orwell and says it doesn't apply here, even though this is the first prosecution of a book in Elections Canada's history.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer (from the Justice Department) concludes. My lawyer (Aaron Rosenberg) rises to rebut.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Rebel lawyer Aaron: Elections Canada failed to clearly outline the statutory test that was to guide the decision-making process. It's not clear what test he used. So it's unreasonable and flawed.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyers are just like him -- completely brazen, saying absurd things with a straight face, and just daring you to object.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
They fined me $3,000 for writing a book criticizing Trudeau. And then they say it's fine, because pro-Trudeau books are not chilled.
Trudeau's lawyer: "a requirement of advance planning... is not obviously impracticable."
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer is saying that, as an author, I must disclose my publishing plans to the government in advance.
And that's what the judge seemed to supporter earlier today.
Trudeau's lawyer refers to George Orwell and says it doesn't apply here, even though this is the first prosecution of a book in Elections Canada's history.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Trudeau's lawyer (from the Justice Department) concludes. My lawyer (Aaron Rosenberg) rises to rebut.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
Rebel lawyer Aaron: Elections Canada failed to clearly outline the statutory test that was to guide the decision-making process. It's not clear what test he used. So it's unreasonable and flawed.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
The court concludes. The judge says she's going to take some time to write the decision and come back to us.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023
If you would like to help us fight this David and Goliath battle, please do -- you can chip in at https://t.co/ESd3BWRjx6.
Thanks!
- By Ezra Levant
Get your copy of The Libranos today!
"The Libranos: What the media won’t tell you about Justin Trudeau’s corruption" was deemed illegal by Justin Trudeau and Elections Canada. Get your copy now to see why.
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