Three more members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet have been forced to unblock Rebel News on X, formerly Twitter, following a previous court ruling.
Last year, Rebel News was victorious in a lawsuit against Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault after he blocked Rebel boss Ezra Levant on the social media platform. Though the issue may seem trivial, official social media accounts are part of how the government disseminates information to the public.
Because of this official capacity, the Federal Court ordered Guilbeault to unblock Rebel News and ordered him to pay $20,000.
But ministers Ya’ara Saks, Marci Ien and Karina Gould apparently felt they were above this verdict, which prompted a similar legal demand in response.
Now, the trio of ministers have been ordered to unblock Rebel News and pay $1,750.
WATCH: @EzraLevant explains what’s at stake in his, and Rebel News’, lawsuit against Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault for blocking him on Twitter.
MORE: https://t.co/UkLFCC7LNHpic.twitter.com/Lvgz1wvuvy
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) June 13, 2023
“The Liberal government argued that these Twitter accounts were personal, not government accounts,” Levant said on X. “That’s laughable given they have that grey ‘government’ check mark from Twitter,” he added.
“But if they really are personal, why are taxpayers footing the bill here?”
Despite the Liberals’ insistence these accounts were personal, the funds, like the larger amount paid by Guilbeault, were footed by Canadian taxpayers. After receiving multiple raises during the pandemic, cabinet ministers receive $274,500 in salary, as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation reports.
Poilievre condemns Trudeau’s new internet censorship law, calls him a ‘woke authoritarian’
‘Yes, we will oppose Justin Trudeau’s latest attack on freedom of expression,’ the Conservative leader told reporters.
MORE: https://t.co/uiqS0aLB16 pic.twitter.com/GIsmNgQ8Ls
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 23, 2024
The lawsuit against Guilbeault drew attention from across the political spectrum, with the Toronto Star, Postmedia and even a French-language outlet covering the Rebel victory.
“[T]he principle that government ministers should not block access to their feeds given the implications for freedom of expression is an important one,” commented law professor Michael Geist following the original ruling.
Geist pointed to the “mute” function found on most social media apps, giving a user the chance to avoid comments they may wish to ignore. This, he said, would have granted the government officials the ability to disregard comments “without blocking public access to their feeds.”
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