Episode Overview

Main Theme:
In this episode of the Ezra Levant Show (Rebel News Podcast), Ezra Levant discusses what he perceives as radical activists erasing Canada’s historical identity. The episode covers incidents like the removal of Sir John A. MacDonald from the $10 bill, the tearing down of statues, renaming of public spaces, and how these, together with media narratives and government programs, contribute to the rewriting or erasure of Canadian history. Later in the episode, Ezra interviews John Carpay of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms about the federal government’s use of psychological techniques (the “nudge unit”) to engineer public behavior and consent, using COVID policies and climate change as examples.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Erasure of Canada's Historic Identity

• Statue and Symbol Removals

  • Levant opens by lamenting incidents including the removal of Sir John A. MacDonald from the $10 bill, the tearing down of historic statues, and the abrupt muting of the national anthem at Toronto City Hall. ([00:50])
  • He sees these moves as part of a broader campaign by government, academia, and media to “delete our history, denigrate our great leaders, [and] revise our national story.” ([01:03])

• Comparison of Historical Figures

  • Levant contrasts Sir John A. MacDonald’s achievements (Confederation, building the Canadian Pacific Railway) with Viola Desmond’s short-lived but significant act of protest, arguing the exchange on currency symbolizes the downgrading of Canadian achievement.
  • “She was chosen not because she is a powerful figure in history... To replace a powerful figure ... to deracinate our country, to pull it out by the roots, to undo our past...” ([05:50])

• Broader Rewriting of Canadian History

  • Levant criticizes the replacement of historical statues with a “mother bison and her child” monument as a replacement for the Queen Victoria statue at the Manitoba Legislature, seeing it as further erasure of the real past in favor of something “fake or meaningless.” ([06:30])
  • He invokes George Orwell’s quote from 1984: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ([07:05])

• Renaming Initiatives

  • Name changes such as Ryerson University to Toronto Metropolitan University, and Young-Dundas Square to Sankofa Square are used as further examples of “destroying the past to control the future.” ([07:30])

2. Narrative Around Indigenous Issues & Accusations Against Churches

• Levant disputes the narrative of mass unmarked graves at residential schools, calling it a “complete hoax” and criticizing what he perceives as the undue defamation of Christian churches.

  • “Defame Christian churches by falsely claiming they were part of a genocide... a complete hoax.” ([07:57])

• Contrasting Responses to Attacks on Religion

  • He notes the disparity in governmental responses between church attacks and hypothetical attacks on mosques, claiming the latter would provoke martial law whereas church attacks are overlooked. ([08:59])

3. The Toronto City Hall Incident: Anthems and Activism

• Flag-Raising & Counter-Protests

  • Levant describes the raising of the Palestinian flag at Toronto City Hall and the peaceful counter-protesters who played the Canadian anthem in response.
  • He draws attention to what he sees as police double-standards: “What law could possibly allow a cop to turn off someone’s Canadian anthem, but zealously protect pro-Hamas supporters... allowing them... to scream at Jews?” ([13:52])

• Antagonism at Protests

  • Includes exchanges between protesters, such as accusations of genocide and anti-Semitic remarks by pro-Palestinian protesters. ([12:14]–[13:24 ])
  • Protester: “You teach your kids how to kill babies?” / “Zionist.” ([12:21]–[12:24])

4. “Nudge Units” and Behavioral Manipulation by the Government

• Introduction to Psychological Manipulation by the State

  • Levant brings on John Carpay to discuss a report by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms about “nudge units” run by the government to shape public opinion through psychological techniques.
  • “This is exposing a manipulative psychological weapon that has been aimed at Canadians. Am I right?” ([16:39])

• Scope and Funding of Nudge Units

  • Carpay explains the Impact and Innovation Unit’s $725 million in projects since 2017 that use behavioral psychology to “push” Canadians toward desired behaviors: vaccination, acceptance of government narratives, etc. ([17:29])
  • “These are behavioral scientists that are not merely just providing information ... they are pushing Canadians to behave in certain ways.” ([18:11])

• Manipulation of COVID and Climate Narratives

  • Emotional tactics such as “fear, reassurance, or urgency” were used to promote compliance with policies like vaccine mandates.
  • Levant links this to wider policy aims:
    “What other issues? ... Accepting mass immigration, accepting crime on our streets...” ([18:50])

• Ethical Concerns & Recommendations

  • Levant and Carpay discuss how such behavioral manipulation, if done in academic settings, would require rigorous informed consent. They worry about the blurred ethical lines of these government programs.
  • Carpay’s report recommends:
    • Parliamentary oversight
    • Public disclosure of behavioral research
    • Independent ethical review of such interventions ([23:51])

5. Privacy & Surveillance State – Cross-Partisan Opposition

• Surveillance Legislation (Bill C2 and C12)

  • Carpay explains how opposition to surveillance state measures exists across the political spectrum and has already delayed or forced changes to some government bills:
    • Bill C2 (“Strong Borders Act/Strong Surveillance Act”) has been paused after widespread criticism, with only select provisions advancing as Bill C12. ([27:36])
  • “There was such a big outcry... across the spectrum, including groups that you might call left-wing groups, that the government has actually put Bill C2 on the back burner...” ([28:13])

• Hope for Civil Liberties

  • Levant and Carpay find solace that both left-leaning and right-leaning Canadians can unite around civil liberties and opposition to government surveillance. ([29:36])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Viola Desmond vs. Sir John A. MacDonald:
  “That’s the entirety of her public notoriety. In fact, she left Canada altogether and moved to the United States... that’s just not equivalent in accomplishment, in historical importance to the founding father of Canada himself, the first prime minister.”
  (Ezra Levant, [03:03])

• On Statue Replacement:
  “No. Let me quote the newspaper... plans a year ago to have a monument of a mother bison and her child erected in the spot where the statue of Queen Victoria had been torn down... a bison. Like I say, tear down the real past. Recreate a fake past or a meaningless past.”
  (Ezra Levant, [06:44])

• On Government Psychological Manipulation:
  “This is not like a poster... but this was about crafting messages to alleviate anxiety... manipulative to get people to behave in a certain way as opposed to merely providing objective information.”
  (John Carpay, [22:30])

• On the Treating of Churches:
  “More than 100 churches have been burned or vandalized. If that were mosques, we’d be under martial law again... But it’s just churches. So what?”
  (Ezra Levant, [08:59])

• On the Use of ‘Nudge Units’:
  “Parliamentary oversight of all behavioral science uses within federal departments... public disclosure... independent ethical review of any behavioral interventions affecting public opinion or individual autonomy.”
  (Ezra Levant summarizing report recommendations, [24:12])

• On the Public's Cross-Partisan Opposition:
  “Across the political spectrum, there has been opposition to the surveillance state and I’m truly grateful for that.”
  (John Carpay, [29:01])

Important Segment Timestamps

• Opening: Theme Introduction & National Anthem Incident Preview
  [00:00]–[01:00]

• Sir John A. MacDonald, Viola Desmond, and Historical Erasure
  [01:00]–[07:30]

• Orwellian Warnings & Renaming Initiatives
  [07:30]–[08:00]

• Churches & Mass Graves Narrative
  [07:57]–[08:59]

• Toronto City Hall Palestinian Flag-Raising & Anthems Controversy
  [08:59]–[13:52]

• Canadian Government ‘Nudge’ Unit & Interview with John Carpay
  [16:39]–[30:20]

• Ethics and Recommendations for Behavioral Science Use
  [23:51]–[26:45]

• Privacy, Surveillance State, and Cross-Partisan Civil Liberties
  [26:45]–[29:36]

Tone & Style Notes

• The episode’s tone is unapologetically critical, urgent, and combative, with Levant positioning himself as a defender of traditional Canadian values against what he characterizes as left-wing activism and government overreach.
• Quotes and discussions are direct and, at times, confrontational, especially relating to historical debates, religious tensions, and government policies.
• John Carpay’s contribution is measured but firm, emphasizing transparency and ethical concerns over government psychological techniques.

Key Takeaways

• Ezra Levant believes Canada’s history and identity are under attack by activists, government actions, and media/academic narratives.
• Specific incidents (removal of historical figures from public honors, statue removals, renamings, police actions at protests) are argued to be deliberate efforts to “deracinate” and rewrite the Canadian national story.
• The episode raises alarms about government manipulation of public opinion through so-called “nudge units” using psychological tactics, especially during COVID and climate policy rollouts.
• Ethical concerns highlighted include lack of transparency, absence of informed consent, and a need for parliamentary oversight of state-led behavioral interventions.
• Some hope is expressed in the cross-partisan opposition to the expansion of the surveillance state in Canada.