The Federal Court of Canada has issued an order to Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to pay Rebel News founder Ezra Levant $20,000 and unblock him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, concluding a lawsuit the latter filed in 2021.
Mr. Levant had argued in his legal challenge launched two years ago that not being able to have access to Mr. Guilbeault’s posts meant that his ability to engage in debate on matters of public concern with the minister was limited. He had argued that this limitation was violating his constitutional rights.
The lawsuit argued X, which it cited as having 192 million users, functioned as a modern public square, and that the defendants’ actions constituted a violation of free expression.
Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn ruled on Sept. 11 that the minister should unblock Mr. Levant immediately, and to keep the account unblocked for as long as he is a member of Parliament.
“Unlike private sector cancel culture, this violates constitutional rights including freedom of speech and freedom of the press,” Mr. Levant told The Epoch Times in reacting to the court order.
“Government Twitter accounts, especially those of cabinet ministers, provide important information to the public, and also allow the public to reply and interact with the government.”
Mr. Levant claims on X that Mr. Guibeault’s lawyers tried to have him abide by a confidentiality clause to not reveal the outcome of the case.
The Epoch Times reached out to both Environment Canada and Justice Canada for comment, but did not receive responses before publication time.
