Outspoken political commentator Ezra Levant arrives at the Law Society of Alberta in Calgary on Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Levant on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
OTTAWA – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault must unblock Rebel News founder Ezra Levant on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, under the terms of a court order.
The order issued by Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn ends an action Levant filed two years ago claiming the Liberal minister was violating his constitutional rights by blocking him.
Levant argued that his inability to see or respond to Guilbeault’s posts on the platform limited his ability to engage in debate on matters of public concern.
Lawyers in the case wrote to Zinn on Sept. 7 consenting to an order that would resolve the matter.
Under the order, the minister must ensure his X account unblocks Levant immediately and for as long as Guilbeault remains a member of Parliament.
University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, who has followed the case, says while the order does not affirm a constitutional right, it sends a strong signal about the state of the law.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2023.
