LIVE UPDATES: Rebel News takes on Carney in court over journalism licence
The focus of the lawsuit is Justin Trudeau’s unconstitutional journalism licence, called the QCJO or “qualified Canadian journalism organization”, which Carney has kept and is enforcing.
Ezra Levant is in the Federal Court of Appeal this morning in downtown Toronto as Mark Carney's lawyers attempt to argue that the federal government should be able to decide what 'real' journalism is.
Rebel News is fighting Mark Carney’s government over the unconstitutional QCJO journalism licence — a system that gives politicians the power to decide who is a journalist and who isn’t.
"If we win this battle, press freedom and independence takes a giant step forward. But if we lose, Mark Carney’s government will strengthen its grip on Canadian reporters," Ezra explained.
The Rebel News publisher went on: "Real democracies don’t have journalism licences. Real democracies don’t get to decide who can or can’t report on them or criticize them. That’s the kind of thing you would see in Russia or Iran or China."
Today the Federal Court of Appeal will decide if Mark Carney can enforce the QCJO journalism license — a dangerous violation of press freedom.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
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
Rebel News' small team of two lawyers is facing off against Carney's army of high-priced lawyers. The stakes have never been higher.
Follow along below for live updates:
I'll do a video wrap up now.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
To help us cover the costs of our lawyer, please go to https://t.co/A1HVDijyu8.
Thanks!
Hawkes refers to crowdfunding, which Bridges condemns.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Hawkes says that simply having a mention of a crowdfund at the end of the news story stops that from being a news story -- he gives the example of a CBC story about a crowdfund (like an Oxfam story).
Hawkes says that a lot of the news stories were excluded because there was a mention at the end for how viewers could get involved.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Basically, all of our convoy coverage was ruled "not news" because at the end of our news, we told people how to chip in.
Bridges: the government calls for "informed and reliable" journalism. Sure -- me, too. But what Trudeau and Carney call informed and reliable is very different from what I do, or what any of us do.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
We can never let the government decide this.
Bridges is just going through definitions -- e.g. the definition of news. I say again, if you pull back from all of this legal minutiae, are you not left thinking, "why are politicians and courts even allowed to regulate journalism"? It is not normal to have a hearing like this.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
The government lawyers are Wendy Bridges and Larissa Benham. They now have just one mini lawyer with them in the gallery.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Justice Heckman asks about the three-week period of news we chose to serve up to the CRA. We chose the trucker convoy because, as Hawkes answered, we were reporting almost 24/7. "It was certainly news and certainly original."
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Hawkes: the wording of the CRA requirements don't actually require opposing views to be published.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
That's good for the CBC, for example -- they never allow voices that dispute the theory of global warming, for example.
Hawkes refers to QJCO legal guidelines that the CRA did not consider when reviewing Rebel News work.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Justice Heckman suggests Rebel News only raised Charter values in defending our political perspective -- not in general.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Miller refers to an affidavit submitted by our chief reporter, Sheila Gunn Reid.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
NO-ONE FROM THE CRA EVERY SPOKE WITH ANYONE AT REBEL NEWS. NOT ONE PHONE CALL, NOT ONE EMAIL, NOT ONE QUESTION.
Why would they? They had their decision in advance.
Trudeau's hand-picked committee also objected to Rebel News's political opinions. That was not repeated by the CRA, which realizes that not a legal reason to ban us.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Trudeau's hand-picked committee repeatedly tried to break the law. They're corrupt, just like him.#gross
Miller is listing the legal qualities required of a QCJO, showing how Rebel News meets the list.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Another thing a QCJO can apply for is a labour tax credit. That's the massive subsidy QCJO journalists get from the government -- almost half the cost of a journalist's salary. (Rebel News would never take this, of course, but it's why no other journalists are in court today.)
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
The third thing a QCJO can ask for is being a Registered Journalism Organization, which is a kind of charity. Again, you can't apply for that if you're not a QCJO to begin with.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
So QCJO is a "gateway". Which is why Carney is fighting us so hard.
Miller: this advisory board was designed to "assist" the government making QCJO decisions.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
Miller: Trudeau's hand-picked media "advisory board" was designed to give "some independence" from the government.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
The three-judge panel is here. They indicate it will be a three-hour hearing. Sarah Miller is up first, for Rebel News.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 24, 2025
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