Rebel News founder promises court Tamara Lich's bail conditions will be 'top priority'

Rebel News founder promises court Tamara Lich's bail conditions will be 'top priority'

Convoy protest leader seeking permission to travel abroad as correspondent for right-wing news outlet

Rebel News founder Ezra Levant told an Ottawa judge Wednesday that it would be his company’s "top priority" to ensure Tamara Lich complies with her court-ordered bail conditions if she is allowed to travel internationally as an employee of the right-wing media outlet.

"I disagree with court cases every day, but I abide by them," Levant told court during a hearing to consider the request from Lich, a key organizer of the 2022 convoy protest in Ottawa.

Lich, who attended court virtually, is currently under house arrest in Medicine Hat, Alta., but is nevertheless seeking the court’s permission to leave Canada as a Rebel News employee, including going on a Caribbean cruise and visiting the White House.

Convoy leader Tamara Lich asking court's permission to visit White House, go on cruise

During cross-examination on Wednesday, prosecutors displayed the Rebel News website, which prominently features Levant, along with T-shirts and other merchandise bearing Lich’s likeness.

Lich was found guilty in April 2025 of mischief and other offences for her role in organizing and sustaining the Ottawa protest, which ended only after the federal government triggered the Emergencies Act, allowing police to clear the streets.

She published a book through Rebel News in 2023, and has filed at least four reports per month on the outlet's website since March.

Key convoy figure asks judge for permission to visit White House, take a cruise

Lich has already sought and received permission to travel domestically, attending and reporting on independence events in Saskatchewan and Alberta, as well as an Independence Day celebration at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa on July 4, where she was photographed with the U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.

Prosecutors argued Lich’s circumstances haven't changed significantly enough to warrant another review of her conditions.

They said Levant’s public comments about Lich and her trial call into question whether he could be trusted to ensure she complies with her bail conditions, and they questioned what authority, if any, would enforce those conditions while she's outside Canada.

The court will hear further arguments on Aug. 14.

David Fraser is an Ottawa-based journalist for CBC News who previously reported in Alberta and Saskatchewan.