Rebel News and one of its media personalities, David Menzies, are taking the RCMP to court, accusing the federal police force of engaging “in a pattern of intimidation and exclusion.”
The lawsuit, which is also directed at the York Regional Police and the Attorney General of Canada, stems from Menzies’s high-profile profile arrest in January.
In a video posted by Rebel News, Menzies is seen trying to ask Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland questions in Richmond Hill, Ont., about the government’s decision to leave the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) off the designated terrorist entity list.
Freeland and Menzies were both attending an event to mark the destruction of Flight PS752, the Ukrainian International Airlines jetliner that was destroyed by the Iranian military in January 2020. All 176 people onboard died, including 55 Canadians and 30 permanent residents.
In the video, a plainclothes RCMP officer appears to step into Menzies’ path while he’s carrying a microphone.
The officer subsequently grabs Menzies by his lapels, pushes him against a wall and accuses him of assault while putting him under arrest.
“Police — you’re under arrest for assault. You pushed into me, sir,” the unidentified officer is heard saying.
“I didn’t touch a single person,” Menzies says in response.
Rebel and Menzies allege the officer, whom they refer to as John Doe 1, “positioned himself to ensure physical contact with Mr. Menzies and to ensure that Mr. Menzies would have no option but to suffer physical contact.”
The statement of claim, shared by lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, alleges another officer, John Doe 2, told Menzies he was “very aggressive” and “running in with his microphone very aggressive.”
Rebel and Menzies go on to allege the officer “engaged in theatre.”
“There were no reasonable and probable grounds for an arrest,” says the court document.
Claim alleges Charter violations
According to the statement of claim, York police drove Menzies to an empty parking lot several blocks from the event venue and told him he was not being charged. The claim says he was then told that, according to the terms of the Trespass to Property Act, he would not be allowed to return to the venue.
The statement of claim said that prevented Menzies from doing his job and talking to attendees.
The document also alleges RCMP officers assaulted Menzies in 2020 when he tried to ask Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a question about the government’s response to COVID-19, and shot another Rebel News personality with a riot-suppressing gun during the 2022 convoy protest in Ottawa.
WATCH | Rebel News personality arrested while trying to question Freeland
Rebel News personality arrested while trying to question Chrystia Freeland
2 months ago
Duration 0:53
Video shows police arresting Rebel News personality David Menzies as he attempts to ask Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland questions about why the government hasn’t designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity. (Video courtesy Rebel News)
Rebel News has taken the RCMP to court separately in both of those matters and is asking for donations to cover its legal costs.
“RCMP have over the last few years engaged in a pattern of intimidation and exclusion against Rebel News journalists, including Mr. Menzies,” the most recent lawsuit claims.
Rebel and Menzies also allege multiple Charter rights were violated, including the right to freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary detention.
The claims have not yet been proven in court.
York Regional Police said Menzies was released unconditionally after it was determined there was no credible security threat.
After the incident made news, the RCMP said it was “looking into the incident” and the actions of everyone involved.
CBC has requested comment from the RCMP about the lawsuit.
When questioned about the incident, Freeland said politicians have no say in operational decisions made by police.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
