Rebel News Podcast: "How Indigenous activists are repeating a key gay-rights mistake"

Host: Ezra Levant
Date: December 10, 2025
Episode Type: The Ezra Levant Show

Episode Overview

Ezra Levant draws a provocative parallel between recent developments in Indigenous activism and the overreach he perceives in the modern LGBTQ2S+ movement, particularly in their transitions from demands for equality to what he frames as demands for compliance and supremacy. Using the example of a newly renamed bridge in British Columbia with an Indigenous name rendered in a linguistically complex script, Levant argues that efforts for reconciliation may be backfiring, risking public goodwill by pushing beyond reasonable recognition. The episode also features a detailed legal discussion with John Carpay of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, focusing on free speech suppression on campuses and contentious gender-identity policies in women’s prisons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LGBTQ Movement Overreach – Parallels Drawn

• Rise and Fall of Support:
  Levant opens by noting falling support for LGBTQ2S+ rights in North America, citing sources like The Guardian and PBS.
  (01:25-03:17)

• From Equality to ‘Forcing Participation’:
  He contends that the movement, after achieving legal equality with gay marriage, overplayed its hand by pushing into transgender politics, which he claims shifted the focus from privacy and acceptance to compelling others to participate in what he characterizes as “extreme sexuality.”

  “It’s now about forcing other people, against their will, to accept intrusions into their own privacy. Forcing themselves into your bathroom, into your change room, even into women’s shelters.” — Ezra Levant (04:40)

• Example Provided:
  Levant cites the ‘Busty Lemieux’ case—a teacher with prosthetic breasts—as emblematic of this forced participation and says such extremes have driven a backlash.
  (03:17-05:38)

2. Indigenous Activism & Renaming Controversy

• Canadian Reconciliation Fatigue:
  Levant asserts that, similar to LGBTQ overreach, the Indigenous rights movement risks alienating mainstream Canadians by exceeding reasonable recognition—from solidarity to what he describes as “race hatred” and politicization.
  (05:38-08:38)

• Bridge Naming as Symbolic Flashpoint:
  He spotlights the replacement of Vancouver’s Pattullo Bridge with a new structure named in an Indigenous language and rendered in complex script. Levant argues that this is not about reconciliation, but about deliberately excluding non-Indigenous Canadians and “pushing you around.”

  “This is designed to push you back, to push you around. There’s no chance this would ever be named Pattullo.... Even naming it Stallo Awesome isn’t enough. It has to be written in a made up scientific language that actually not a single indigenous person learned in school because it was made up by white linguists.” — Ezra Levant (10:10)

• Objections to Public Input:
  Levant criticizes how questions about the choice of Chinese steel for the bridge were brushed aside during the public event, suggesting an atmosphere hostile to debate.

  “Can you please just weigh in on that?...Please keep those questions for a side–a side press conference. We’re here to celebrate. Please don’t take that beautiful, beautiful, day away from us.” — Chief Gabriel (12:23-13:19)

• Reflection on Reconciliation:
  Levant clarifies he isn’t opposed to Indigenous place names per se—citing examples from Calgary—but opposes what he sees as opaque, impenetrable gestures that shut out the majority.

  “I come from Calgary, where the famous streets have names like Crowchild Trail and Deerfoot Trail… I’m not even against renaming certain things using traditional languages... but the deliberate choice to make it absolutely inscrutable… we are well past reconciliation now. We’re in the danger zone.” — Ezra Levant (14:10-15:30)

• Main Warning:
  Levant warns of “overreach” and urges Indigenous activists to “declare victory,” drawing analogies to the pride movement’s current unpopularity.

3. Legal Segment with John Carpay – Free Speech & Trans Policy Lawsuits

A. Case: Frances Widdowson (17:00-21:29)

• Overview:
  Frances Widdowson, an academic critical of residential school mass grave claims, was arrested for trespassing at University of Victoria during a speech—Levant and Carpay see this as a free speech issue and indicative of double standards.

• Carpay on Double Standards:

  “It’s just a double standard because she is pointing out that there’s just no evidence to substantiate the claim... this is a very important point on principle.” — John Carpay (18:40)

  “Pro-life groups on campus... they get harassed and intimidated... And then they get censored because they’re supposedly a threat to security.” — John Carpay (20:30)

• Contrast with Pro-Hamas Encampments:
  Levant and Carpay note that activist encampments face less censure than “unpopular” individual speakers.

B. Women’s Prisons & Gender Identity Policy (21:29-30:38)

• Heather Mason’s Experience:
  Levant and Carpay describe government policy allowing self-identifying males into women’s prisons, even with no physical or behavioral transition. They highlight the problems this raises for the safety, dignity, and rights of female prisoners and guards.

  “If you’re a sex predator convicted and Sent to prison. Why on earth wouldn’t you immediately declare that you’re a woman?... Imagine a man being allowed into a women’s prison.” — Ezra Levant (24:21)

• Legal Approach:
  The Justice Centre is representing a women’s group (CASBAR) in a legal bid against the policy, arguing it violates Charter rights to life, liberty, and security of the person, and equality.

  “We argue that the policy should be struck down because it violates the charter, section 7, right to life, liberty and security of the person. You still have these rights in prison...” — John Carpay (27:50)

• Disappointment with Traditional Feminists:
  Levant notes that mainstream feminist legal organizations like LEAF aren’t involved, interpreting this as abandonment of women’s rights by traditional feminists.

  “The fact... well, oh no, that shows how outdated I am... now they are not opposed to men transferring into a women’s prison simply by declaring themselves to be women.” — Ezra Levant (30:05-30:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Overreach in Social Movements:

  “Stop. Declare victory. Do not press on further. This is your man in the girls swimming change room moment.” — Ezra Levant (08:12)

• On Imposing Indigenous Language Place Names:

  “Why are you imposing that weird alphabet and spelling on a bridge that not one in a thousand Vancouverites could read or pronounce?... Because it’s about pushing you around.” — Ezra Levant (10:06)

• On Free Speech Double Standard:

  “It’s just a double standard because she is pointing out that there’s just no evidence to substantiate the claim... this is a very important point on principle.” — John Carpay (18:40)

• On Women’s Rights in Prison:

  “We’re seeking to have the policy struck down... women are not getting the same level of safety that men are getting in men’s prisons. But I think that the strongest one is the security of the person argument.” — John Carpay (28:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:25 | Discussion of falling LGBTQ2S+ support & “overreach” | | 03:17-05:38 | Shift from privacy/equality to compulsion in LGBTQ politics | | 05:38-08:38 | Transition to Indigenous issues, comparison to gay rights | | 08:38-10:10 | Vancouver bridge name controversy, explanation of pronunciation | | 10:10-13:36 | Critique of naming/steel controversy and suppression of questions | | 13:36-15:30 | Broad critique: reconciliation giving way to resentment | | 16:00-18:40 | Introduction of John Carpay and Frances Widdowson case | | 18:40-21:29 | Carpay on campus censorship and legal challenge | | 21:29-25:16 | Introduction of women’s prisons and trans inmate policy | | 25:16-30:38 | Legal challenge details: Charter argument, feminist response | | 31:03-33:08 | Listener letters on AI, tech, and social trust |

Summary Tone & Language

Levant’s commentary is polemical and sometimes sarcastic, deploying combative and provocative phrasing (“pushing you around,” “jumping of the shark,” “supremacists now in their own way”). Guest John Carpay is more formal and legalistic, with clear emphasis on rights and principles.

Conclusion

This episode of The Ezra Levant Show functions as a cultural warning, using events in LGBTQ and Indigenous activism as case studies in perceived progressive overreach and backlash. The legal update with John Carpay provides a substantive look at the current frontlines of free speech and gender identity law in Canada, with the through-line that societal goodwill can be rapidly eroded by actions seen as vindictive or exclusionary rather than reconciliatory. While firmly rooted in Levant’s conservative editorial stance, the episode underscores contemporary divides in Canadian public discourse.