Rebel News Podcast — Ezra Levant Show

Episode: Is Mark Carney Temperamentally Suited to Public Life?

Date: November 25, 2025
Host: Ezra Levant
Guest: Karima Saad

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Ezra Levant, centers on an evaluation of Mark Carney — his temperament and suitability for public office, particularly in his role as Canada’s Prime Minister. Levant scrutinizes Carney’s recent public comments, his handling of key policy issues, and what Levant argues is a revealing pattern in Carney’s reactions under pressure. The second half of the episode shifts to a discussion about ongoing street protests in Toronto in the wake of the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, featuring independent journalist Karima Saad.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mark Carney’s Public Demeanor and Suitability for Office

• Carney’s “Who Cares?” Moment (00:00–03:00)
  Levant opens the episode highlighting Carney’s dismissive response to a reporter’s question about contact with Donald Trump:

  Mark Carney [01:17]: “Who cares?”
  Levant argues this nonchalance is alarming given Carney’s previous promises to manage U.S.-Canada relations, especially the Trump file, as a core campaign narrative.

  Ezra Levant [02:19]:
  “He said he cared. That was pretty much his central campaign platform in the last election. He was the one, the only one, he said, who could handle Donald Trump, who could protect Canada from Trump, who could out negotiate Trump because Carney knows how the world really works.”

• Carney and Oil Pipelines: Boredom or Avoidance? (03:50–08:30)
  Carney’s attitude toward oil pipelines is dissected, referencing a recent incident where he called pipeline talks “boring.”

  Mark Carney [03:50]: “Is this pipeline going to come so, so boring? It's not.”

  Levant counters:

  Ezra Levant [04:36]:
  “Yeah, oil pipelines are boring. Did you know that many things in running a government may seem boring if you're measuring it against, I don't know, jet setting to exotic conferences at five star hotels in places around the world like Davos and the World Economic Forum, which is pretty much what Mark Carney did full time until he became Prime Minister. Sorry to bore you, but even that's not true.”

• Pattern of Petulance Under Pressure (08:33–09:20)
  Levant builds a case that Carney becomes “chippy and snippy” when challenged, citing interactions with journalists like Rosemary Barton:

  Mark Carney [09:12]: “Look inside yourself, Rosemary. I mean, you start from a prior of conflict…”

• Failure of Temperament and Prioritization (09:21–11:30)
  Levant contends that Carney’s irritation and avoidance signal an unsuitability for high office, notably when it comes to critical relationships such as that with the U.S.

  Ezra Levant [09:21]:
  “Mark Carney loses his cool and gets chippy and snippy and snappy when he's frustrated, when he's asked about something he doesn't have a good answer to. Oil pipelines. Stop bothering him. Trump, shut up. Conflict of interest. Look inside yourself, Rosemary.”

2. Social Media’s Influence and Foreign Propaganda (11:30–16:45)

• Anonymous Twitter Accounts and Bot Networks
  Levant explores how much of the political conversation now occurs online, focusing on Twitter/X.

  Ezra Levant [12:50]:
  “There are a ton of anonymous Twitter accounts that sort of act like drones or swarms, and it's pretty obvious that they're fake. They're not real people... Some anonymous accounts, like I say, are more than just trolls. They're thoughtful and they actually build up hundreds of thousands of followers.”

• New X/Twitter Features Reveal Fake Locations
  He points to recent revelations exposing geographic misrepresentation among major accounts, including so-called reporters in Gaza actually being elsewhere, and even Canadian outlets like CBC registering their accounts from the U.S.

  Ezra Levant [14:30]:
  “Over the weekend, Twitter or X added a feature... countless pro Palestinian accounts that had claimed to be reporters on the ground in Gaza have been proven to be fake... I find that very interesting and I thought it was a real eye opener at how much propaganda we hear and we see is completely fabricated and often funded by foreign dictators.”

• Broader Concerns Over Foreign Interference Levant extrapolates, suggesting many social divisions are stoked by foreign bots and agents.

3. Protest Culture in Toronto: In-Depth with Karima Saad (21:42–44:26)

Background and Scene-Setting

• Ongoing dual protests in a Toronto neighborhood: pro-Israel “Free the Hostages” vs. pro-Palestine/pro-Hamas counter-protests, each with different origins and behaviors.

Interview Highlights & Notable Quotes

• Persistence of Protests Post-Ceasefire (22:11–23:07)

  Karima Saad [22:11]:
  “The protests have continued. So notwithstanding the ceasefire, we've continued to see demonstrations... So you wouldn't necessarily know based on continued protest activity that there has been a major material change in the status of the conflict.”

• Evolution of Protest Demands (23:49–24:34)

  Karima Saad [23:49]:
  “There have been evolving calls to action... Other demands include addressing war crimes or crimes against humanity... And the disarmament of Israel has been raised as another point.”

• Shift in Protest Tactics — Residential Marches (24:34–29:01) Levant expresses concern that, in the absence of pro-Israel protesters, pro-Palestinian groups have shifted tactics, bringing flags and confrontational marches into residential neighborhoods.

  Karima Saad [25:45]:
  “So what they opted was to go down residential streets... One person we spoke with yesterday disputed the notion of a Jewish neighborhood, saying that census data shows it's mostly Christian, mostly Filipino... The flip side to that is you have some who are quite literally cosplaying as Hamas leaders, which, you know, just the optics of that... is triggering.”

• Toronto Police and Crowds: Response and Challenges (29:01–32:07) Includes conversations with police struggling to manage the situation.

  Toronto Police Inspector (as paraphrased by Levant, [29:01]):
  "Please stand by. Stop, please... I'm just trying to keep you guys safe, separate, in order to keep public safety... Our whole job is to ensure that there's safety between the two."

• Tractor Incident at U.S. Consulate Protest (32:07–36:48) Saad describes an incident involving a woman driving a mini tractor through a demonstration (accompanied by video and multiple camera angles):

  Karima Saad [32:47]:
  “I could see blue lights flashing out of the corner of my eye, and I could hear honking... Rather than people getting out of the way, you had protesters who actually tried to stop it and stepped in front of the tractor, were hitting it with their flags and their signs... She flipped someone the bird and was grinning while doing it.”

  Both agree the incident was escalated by both sides and note the potential for misinterpretation and politicization.

• Astroturfing and “Professional Protesters” (39:42–42:45) Levant speculates, referencing media reports, that some protest activity is funded or organized by foreign actors or NGOs. Saad is skeptical about broad claims but concedes that a core group of persistent organizers, often the same individuals, are present at diverse protest movements.

  Karima Saad [39:42]:
  “I'm not privy to anyone's bank accounts, but my instinct is that the majority... aren't doing so for any sort of financial incentive and are generally well intentioned... There is a discernible core group of organizers, a relatively small number of people who are the directing minds but... I think we should really resist the simplistic explanation of they're only here because they get a paycheck.”

4. Listener Letters and Closing Thoughts (44:27–End)

• On the Notwithstanding Clause (Alberta) Discussion of constitutional powers and support for Premier Smith’s use of the clause.

• On Carney’s “Buzzwords” and Credentials Listeners express skepticism about technocratic jargon and Carney’s reliance on credentials over practical experience.

• On Carney’s Constant Travel Suggests Carney may be avoiding domestic challenges in favor of international trips, reflecting poorly on his investment in Canada’s internal issues.

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• [01:17] Mark Carney: “Who cares?” (on Trump phone calls)
• [09:12] Mark Carney: “Look inside yourself, Rosemary…” (to CBC’s Rosemary Barton)
• [23:49] Karima Saad: “Ceasefire was only ever intended to be the beginning…”
• [32:47] Karima Saad: “I could see blue lights flashing… Rather than people getting out of the way, you had protesters who actually tried to stop it and stepped in front of the tractor…”
• [39:42] Karima Saad: “My instinct is that the majority... aren't doing so for any sort of financial incentive and are generally well intentioned...”

Memorable Moments

• Carney’s “Who cares?” dismissiveness is played back repeatedly to spotlight a deeper theme of frustration and disengagement when confronted with policy scrutiny.
• Revelation about Twitter/X’s location feature unmasking high-profile accounts as outside their stated locales, fueling Levant’s concerns about foreign meddling.
• Compelling on-the-ground perspective from Karima Saad about the persistence and evolution of protest dynamics in Toronto post-ceasefire.
• The animated recounting of the “tractor incident” — part accidental, part provocation — and its symbolic reflection of heightened urban tensions.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:00: Carney’s “Who cares?” outburst and campaign hypocrisy
• 03:50–08:30: Carney’s dismissive attitude on oil pipelines/policies
• 08:33–09:20: Media interactions that show Carney’s temperament
• 11:30–16:45: Twitter/X, bots, fake accounts, foreign info-ops
• 21:42–29:01: Protests in Toronto, interplay between groups (with Karima Saad)
• 32:07–36:48: Tractor incident at U.S. consulate protest
• 39:42–42:45: Discussion of protest funding, astroturfing, organizers
• 44:27–End: Listener letters — opinions on Carney, protest culture, and Alberta politics

Conclusion

This episode blends political critique and media analysis, using Mark Carney’s recent public statements and demeanor as a case study in the challenges of political leadership — and the risks of a technocratic style ill-matched to public pressures. In its second half, it offers a window into the grassroots realities (and complexities) of street-level politics in Toronto, shaped by ongoing global conflict but also distinctly local dynamics. The episode concludes with listener feedback, echoing skepticism toward both elite leadership and protest movements, and reinforcing Rebel News’s adversarial, populist tone.