French-language leaders’ debate: Greens disinvited to federal faceoff; Rebel News wins fight to send five reporters as other outlets limited to one

In past years, fringe outlets like Rebel News have protested being excluded from the debate facilities and, thus, the post-debate scrums. Things have really changes this year. The debate commission had tried to limit news outlets to sending just a single reporter each into the post-debate scrums — this year, that includes Rebel. But, according to Rebel News founded Ezra Levant (who is also conducting conspiratorial anti-Liberal advertising across the country) that wasn’t good enough. Levant says they are sending 16 people to the debates and they demanded access to the scrums for all 16, even threatening to sue. Levant, yesterday, announced they won. “They wrote back to us, at the last minute, calling off our lawsuit, by agreeing to allow not one, not two, not three, not four, but five Rebels to ask questions.”

The debate commission responded to me this morning, confirming the news: “Rebel News’ legal representation has identified to the Commission that Rebel News has five distinct divisions.” As such, the conspiratorial right-wing fringe outlet gets five spots, while everyone else just gets one.

This stinks