Michel Cormier, who oversees the federal Leaders' Debates Commission, appeared before a House of Commons committee today, testifying that the post-debate scrums for elections should be cancelled going forward.

Cormier's testimony comes after the cancellation of the post-debate scrum following the 2025 English-language debate, when a number of mainstream media journalists were furious about Rebel News and other independent outlets' accreditation.

Media availabilities following the debates, he said, should be organized by political parties.

On a special Thursday morning livestream, Rebel News boss Ezra Levant shared his live reactions as the hearing before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

“Very disappointing in so many ways,” Ezra said upon the committee hearing's conclusion. The most interesting part, he said, was when Cormier admitted the reason for scrapping post-debate scrums was “because they can't control the questions they're asked.”

The executive director of the Leaders' Debates Commission called the questions by outlets like Rebel News “peripheral,” Ezra noted, adding “the government is choosing what the topics are that you're allowed to think about.”

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Cormier also addressed criticism from mainstream outlets who complained too many Rebel News journalists were accredited. “It was interesting,” he said, that some outlets “had as many as 20 journalists accredited for this event” in comparison to Rebel News' five.

Members of Parliament grilling Cormier was almost entirely “useless,” Ezra said. “I was disappointed in all the MPs, really, other than Tako van Popta,” praising the Conservative MP for addressing issues of press freedom. 

“The Bloc was sort of embarrassing,” Ezra said and “the Liberals were just running out the clock.”

Conservatives “really dropped the ball today,” he said. “You have one of Trudeau's appointed censors, whose proposal is to shut down any Q&A from journalists at the leaders' debate, and you're not going to ask about that?”

The Leaders' Debate Commission was first set up in 2018 and purports to be an independent organization. The organization's commissioner, which is currently vacant following the departure of David Johnston, appoints its advisory board.

Watch the full livestream and Ezra's reactions here below: