LIVE UPDATES: Ezra Levant appeals 'Libranos' book conviction in Federal Court

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.

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…
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Rebel lawyer Aaron Rosenberg: s. 2(b) of the Charter protects our freedom of expression.

Elections Canada admits they violated our freedom -- they just say it's justified.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Rebel lawyer Aaron: the book exemption is vague, and therefore unconstitutional.

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Why not a peep from @caj @cjfe @amnestyca @pencanada @cancivlib?
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Creepy.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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".

Should they each have to meet with the government to prove their innocence, too?
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

This judge seems just fine with the idea of authors being summoned to disclose their plans to the government.

Terrifying.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Sorry, that's political corruption of Elections Canada.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Instead of investigating China's election interference.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Elections Canada's lawyer has repeatedly mentioned that my book (and me) oppose Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party.

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

"Look at the intention of the publisher!"

I swear to God, Elections Canada's lawyer says that is the reason to regulate my book.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Elections Canada says that's a reason why my book should be regulated and censored.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

I keep scratching my head about the silence of the "literary" community in Canada about Trudeau's censorship.

But they never really cared about freedom of speech -- they just cared about their own freedom of speech. They sort of like are censored.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

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?)
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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

But of course that law didn't test police review of books and authors.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyers say what happened to me was perfectly constitutional.

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!"
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyer just said that the law does not actually limit expressive freedom.

I was literally fined $3,000 for writing a book called called Justin Trudeau a "Librano".
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyer refers to the Harper case, which was about "third party" campaign groups.

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

Huge courtroom. 180 Queen Street West. Not a single reporter, journalism advocate or civil liberties activist.

Sort of sad -- for Canada.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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".

I wrote a book. One of 24 books about Trudeau that year.

The other 23 were left alone.

Only mine was prosecuted.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyers are talking about oligarchs trying to buy their way into elections through third party spending.

What on earth does that have to do with me writing a book?

It's an attempt to switch the subject and distract.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

P.S. That same logic doesn't apply to pro-Trudeau books.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

I am not making this up.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyer: the fact that pro-Trudeau books continue to published show that there isn't a chilling effect.

I swear to God he said that.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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.

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

Trudeau's lawyer: "a requirement of advance planning... is not obviously impracticable."

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.
— Ezra Levant 🍁🚛 (@ezralevant) September 21, 2023

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