Rebel News Podcast Summary

Episode: EZRA LEVANT | Authorities choose pronouns over truth after trans gunman kills nine
Date: February 12, 2026
Host: Ezra Levant
Guest: Amy Hamm

Episode Overview

This episode of the Ezra Levant Show addresses the tragic mass shooting in Tumblr Ridge, BC, focusing on the conduct of police and media in reporting on the identity of the shooter. Ezra Levant critiques what he sees as authorities’ prioritization of politically correct language—specifically, the use of "female" pronouns to describe a male-to-female transgender perpetrator—over clear, accurate public safety communications. The conversation with Amy Hamm centers on the broader implications for public trust, statistics on crime, and the erosion of truth in public institutions. The episode is densely opinionated, emotionally charged, and framed in the host's critical perspective on trans activism in Canadian institutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Tragedy in Tumblr Ridge

• A mass shooting by Jesse Van Ruetzeler, a male transitioning to female (Jesse Strang), killed nine people (including the shooter's mother and stepbrother), injured two dozen, and left a child in critical condition.
• The episode emphasizes the horror and tragedy of the event, while also focusing on police and media response.

Notable quote:

"Nine people have been murdered, including the killer’s own mother and stepbrother. Two dozen have been injured. A young child is in critical condition in hospital. The shooter killed himself in the end."
(Ezra Levant, 01:30)

2. Police and Media Language Critique

• Host criticizes authorities for using female pronouns and descriptors in alerts, correction of journalists, and press statements—implying willful deception regarding the identity of the shooter.
• Police referred to the shooter as an "18-year-old female," and alerts instructed the public to avoid "a female in a dress."
• Levant argues this could have put people at greater risk by offering misleading information during a crisis.

Quote and Analysis:

"Calling a man a woman is such an astonishing lie. It’s on par with saying the sky is green or the sea is orange. A child knows it’s a lie. Everyone knows it’s a lie. So why are they doing it and insisting we believe it?"
(Ezra Levant, 03:13)

• CBC and other media outlets also reported the shooter as female, sometimes as "female identifying," which Amy Hamm and Levant argue obfuscates the truth.

Timestamps for Notable Moments:

• 04:24: Police Officer: “The suspect is identified as an 18 year old female by the name of Jesse.”
• 06:44: Police statement on respecting gender identity in public records.
• 07:27: Admission of prior police visits to the shooter's home for mental health reasons.

3. Impartiality, Safety, and the Cost of Political Correctness

• Levant and Hamm argue the adherence to trans-inclusive language was politically motivated and jeopardized public safety.
• They draw a comparison to previous public tragedies where official warnings were delayed or misleading.
• The use of terms like “gun person” instead of gunman is criticized as confusing and unnecessary.

Memorable segment:

"The entire point of an alert is to give people accurate, truthful information that can save their lives. And the police failed utterly to do that in this situation."
(Amy Hamm, 16:18)

4. Impact on Crime Statistics and Women’s Rights

• Amy Hamm highlights the statistical ramifications: some Canadian police forces and data agencies allow self-identification of sex, distorting crime records and misrepresenting women in crime statistics.
• This is seen as an ongoing affront to truth, with serious policy consequences.

Quote:

"It only takes a few examples to wildly change the statistics for women. So again, it’s such an assault on truth."
(Amy Hamm, 21:02)

5. Institutional Complicity and Precedent

• The episode discusses prior cases (e.g., Jonathan Yaniv), suggesting police and media are reluctant to act against or accurately report on trans-identified individuals out of fear of being accused of transphobia.
• Levant and Hamm point to the Canadian prison system, where self-identified trans women can be placed in women’s prisons, citing notorious cases.

Quote:

"In Canada, a criminal can identify as a woman, even if physically they’re a man...and that is the rule in Canada."
(Ezra Levant, 22:50)

6. Failure of Safeguarding and Truth in Institutions

• They lament the broader societal, institutional, and emotional consequences of prioritizing “feelings over facts,” warning it threatens public trust and effective policy-making.
• Amy Hamm recounts a harrowing account from the shooter’s mother, posted years earlier, raising questions about longstanding behavioral issues and failures of intervention.

Quote:

"If you’re willing to lie and say that a man is a woman, if you cannot grapple with the truth...you’re probably willing to lie about other things too..."
(Ezra Levant, 29:55)

7. Victims and Call for Accountability

• The segment closes with a personal note on one of the surviving victims, Maya Edmonds, and a broader appeal for mourning, accountability, and insistence on truth from media and authorities.

Quote:

"...as a human and as a parent, it's just hard to imagine...I just hope that people will look at this and take away the message that...it's important to mourn...but what's also important is to hold media and police to account and tell the truth."
(Amy Hamm, 33:14)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00-06:00: Overview of the massacre & police/media language issues
• 06:00-07:30: Past police interactions with the family, gun licensing concerns
• 11:34-22:50: Interview with Amy Hamm: politics of language, gender identity, crime stats
• 24:57-28:16: Examples from prisons, cases like Jonathan Yaniv
• 28:16-33:14: Amy Hamm on shooter's family, failure of authorities, critique of background checks
• 33:14-34:17: Victim profile, call for truth and accountability

Notable Quotes (with Attribution and Timestamps)

• "Calling a man a woman is such an astonishing lie. It's on par with saying the sky is green or the sea is orange."
  — Ezra Levant (03:13)

• "The entire point of an alert is to give people accurate, truthful information that can save their lives. And the police failed utterly to do that in this situation."
  — Amy Hamm (16:18)

• "It only takes a few examples to wildly change the statistics for women. So again, it’s such an assault on truth."
  — Amy Hamm (21:02)

• "In Canada, a criminal can identify as a woman, even if physically they’re a man...and that is the rule in Canada."
  — Ezra Levant (22:50)

• "If you’re willing to lie and say that a man is a woman, if you cannot grapple with the truth...you’re probably willing to lie about other things too..."
  — Ezra Levant (29:55)

Tone and Language

The episode is highly critical, emotionally charged, and uses language intended to provoke skepticism toward authorities and mainstream media. Levant repeatedly uses sharp analogies and explicit labeling ("regime media," "lying"), while Hamm soberly supports his points with concrete policy examples and personal reflection.

Summary for Those Who Haven’t Listened

The episode delivers a forceful critique of how authorities and media reported the Tumblr Ridge shooting, claiming that politically motivated language—in this case, use of female pronouns for a trans-identified shooter—amounted to institutional lying that endangered the public and clouds both crime statistics and policy. Through the guest interview, Levant and Hamm detail the broader implications on public safety, women’s rights, and social trust, referencing both recent and historic examples. They close on appeals for truth, accountability, and public mourning for the victims, especially highlighting the personal story of a child survivor.

Note: The discussion is presented with a clear ideological stance and does not purport to be neutral reporting.