Canadian Judge Rules “Libranos” Book Illegal and Orders Rebel News to Pay $13,000

[mountaineer]

Book-banning in Justin Castreau's Canada. 

Canadian Judge Rules “Libranos” Book Illegal and Orders Rebel News to Pay $13,000
CountyLocalNews
 December 28, 2023 by Egbe Ogu
In a groundbreaking decision, a Canadian judge has ruled that the controversial book “Libranos” published by Rebel News is illegal under the Elections Act. This ruling has sparked a heated debate about freedom of speech and the role of the media in political discourse.

The judge ordered Rebel News, an independent media organization led by Ezra Levant, to pay a hefty fine of $13,000 for publishing and promoting a book critical of a prominent politician. This decision has raised concerns about potential censorship and the ability of authors and journalists to express their opinions freely.

What makes this case particularly significant is that no other author has ever been prosecuted by Elections Canada for publishing and promoting a book critical of a politician. The Elections Act specifically exempts books from its regulations, recognizing the importance of freedom of expression in the literary world.

The “Libranos” book, written by an anonymous author, alleges corruption and wrongdoing by the politician in question, who is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. The book gained significant attention and controversy upon its release, with some praising it as a valuable exposé and others condemning it as baseless propaganda. ...

BREAKING: Judge rules my “Libranos” book was illegal, orders me to pay $13,000
I’m a free man in a free country and this is an outrageous infringement on freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and because if Rebel News doesn’t fight against this, no-one else will.
    By Ezra Levant | December 28, 2023 ...

[catfish1957]

Canucks are highly socialist....  Eh....

[DefiantMassRINO]

Book came out in 2019, and dares to besmirch Canada's hereditary aristrocratic PM, Justin Trudeau.

https://www.amazon.com/Libranos-media-Justin-Trudeaus-corruption/dp/0995016887

Now, that the book is "illegal" in Canada, it makes me want to buy it like a music album with a PMRC sticker on it.

[mountaineer]

Brooke Goldstein
@GoldsteinBrooke
This is a very dangerous ruling by a Canadian judge against @ezralevant who wrote a book critical of the Prime Minister. He is now being threatened with jail time if he writes another book. This is not how democracy works. This is how dictatorships work. Levant has said that he indeed intends to write another book about Trudeau, as he should, and test whether Canada will start throwing their citizens in jail for exercising their free speech.  What happens here will determine the future of Canada as a free society
1:11 PM · Dec 28, 2023

[Smokin Joe]

Find an American Publisher, smuggle copies into Canada.

[mountaineer]

Ezra Levant 🍁🚛
@ezralevant
A million people saw my tweet about being prosecuted for publishing a book about Justin Trudeau called The Libranos.

I've had a few questions, including from lawyers and journalists. I answer many of them in the 15-minute video below, and you can see the full 85-page court ruling at http://SaveRebelNews.com. But here are a few FAQs.

Was The Libranos book actually declared illegal?

Partly. Elections Canada ruled that promoting sales of the book by showing its front cover during the election campaign was illegal and the judge agreed. They deemed the book's title and cover art to be critical of Trudeau, and thus a political ad that had to be registered with the government, which we would not do. Elections Canada and the judge repeatedly refer to the cover of the book and the judge even included a photo of it in her official judgement.

So is the book itself illegal, or just ads for the book?

All of the ads simply showed the book’s cover and the three words, “buy the book”. So some of the content of the book (its title and cover) was the reason the ads were deemed illegal. Banning the ads is a back-door way to ban the content of the book.

Is it legal to promote or sell the book today?

The book can be bought today on Amazon and no restrictions exist currently governing promotion of the book. But if Trudeau were to call another election, presumably from that moment on any promotion of the book that showed the cover or title would once  again be considered illegal.

What is the penalty?

The judge upheld two convictions against Rebel News under the Elections Act for $1,500 each, plus $10,000 in costs, for a total of $13,000.

Did the judge consider freedom of speech?

The judge claims that freedom of the press is protected as long as authors "simply comply" by registering with the government when publishing a book that criticizes a politician:

“...even if the promotion of a particular book is election advertising, such promotion is not prohibited. The third party must simply comply with the requirements of the Act that apply to all third party election  advertisers…. authors or publishers comply with the spending, registration and disclosure requirements.”

The judge also says authors should have to prove their intentions to the government, in terms of how and when they promote their books:  "it should not be overly onerous for an author or a publisher to demonstrate what their intention was as to the timing of the promotion.”

The judge claims that, despite me being interrogated for an hour  by two 30-year RCMP veterans, there was "no evidence" of a chilling effect on authors or publishers.

Will I publish another book about Trudeau and promote it during the next election?

Of course I will. I’m already writing it. And this outrageous ruling is part of it.

What will happen if I’m prosecuted again?

Both Trudeau’s Elections Canada and the judge have hinted that I could face criminal prosecution next time.

How can people help?

I’ve hired an excellent lawyer to conduct the appeal — Sarah Miller of Calgary. I could use some help to crowdfund her legal fees, which could be as high as $75,000. Go to http://SaveRebelNews.com to chip in. (Thanks.)

7:30 AM · Dec 29, 2023

No comment from Trudeau. Too busy installing tampon dispensers in men's rest rooms, apparently.