Rebel News Secures Almost $200,000 to Influence Federal Election Campaign

Rebel News Secures Almost $200,000 to Influence Federal Election Campaign ..The outlet responsible for condensing the leaders' debates has received substantial funding for partisan endeavors. The far-right network, whose activists led to the cancellation of the post-debate question period, has obtained nearly $200,000 to impact the election campaign, as reported by Elections Canada data.

The channel managed to convince the Chief Debate Committee to issue it five press credentials while registering as a third party with Elections Canada to engage in partisan activities. It also received $169,500 from ForCanada, an organization launched by Rebel News leader Ezra Levant, to campaign against Mark Carney, as outlined in a public report submitted to Elections Canada on April 7. In an interview with the Bureau of Investigation, Levant claims these funds are for advertising placements, a standard practice in media, and contends that this does not position his channel as part of the campaign. On the day of the English debate, a vehicle from Rebel News Network Ltd, arranged by ForCanada, was seen circulating near Radio-Canada in Montreal. The vehicle featured an image of the Liberal leader alongside Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for her involvement in sex trafficking linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, inside, the post-debate question period was canceled due to security issues arising from clashes between various teams. The day prior, following the French debate, representatives from the channel engaged with the candidate interactions. Rebel News Network Ltd also reported spending $8,077.39 on a nationwide calling initiative through Front Line Support, as detailed in a report submitted to Elections Canada on April 7. Levant explains that these calls are made throughout the year to encourage subscribers to renew their memberships.

However, during the election campaign, discussions with subscribers may take on a political tone, prompting him to declare the activity to Elections Canada as a precaution. It should be noted that Elections Canada previously imposed a $1,500 fine on Levant for breaching election laws, ruling that Rebel News conducted partisan activities during the 2019 federal campaign without proper registration as a third party. Levant challenged the ruling in court but lost the case in January 2025. In 2022, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) declined to approve the channel's status as a Qualified Canadian News Organization, which would allow access to tax credits. The agency determined that "the majority of Rebel News content lacks factual basis and multiple perspectives," and thus does not qualify as journalistic. The Conservative Party has had a complicated relationship with Rebel News. Over the last decade, the Conservative Party has repeatedly signaled its connection to Rebel News, alongside right-wing outlets like The Post Millennial and True North, while attempting to distance itself at times.
Former party leader Andrew Scheer referred to these outlets as "intelligent, independent, and objective organizations," which he believed were biased against the mainstream media. He even recruited ex-Rebel journalist Hamish Marshall for a leadership campaign. However, in 2017, he stated he would no longer engage with the channel due to its favorable coverage of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which resulted in a fatality. Scheer expressed his "disgust" over the hate and violence propagated in that coverage. Fast forward to today, Pierre Poilievre has openly and extensively answered questions from Rebel News after last week's French debate and on multiple occasions throughout the campaign. He has known Ezra Levant, the channel's founder, for over 25 years, and even campaigned for him during his Canadian Alliance run in Calgary Southwest in 2002, a constituency that ultimately went to Stephen Harper. Following that, Levant, who is trained as a lawyer, stepped back from active politics.

Extremist Collaborations When it was established in 2015, Rebel News featured Gavin McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right group designated as a "terrorist entity" in Canada since 2021. McInnes departed the channel in 2017. Since then, the outlet has brought on British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, known for his Islamophobic views and multiple convictions. Robinson was arrested in Canada last year while attending events organized by Rebel News. A 2021 investigation by The New York Times claimed the channel received $7,000 for Robinson from Robert Shillman, a wealthy American businessman known for his donations to the Islamophobic lobby Middle East Forum and Donald Trump. Claiming to rely entirely on public donations, Rebel News Canada has nearly 82,000 subscribers on YouTube, with its Quebec branch accounting for about 13,000. - Anne Caroline Desplanques, JDM