Five stories that explain Canada in 2026

·38 min·2 clips

The Toronto Star headline says Canada will grant 33,000 foreign workers permanent residence.

1. Rebel News Podcast’s March 6 episode, titled “Five stories that explain Canada in 2026,” links Canadian court rulings, immigration policy, and Alberta separatism to a broader national identity argument. 2. Ezra Levant hosts the show and introduces Dr. Daniel Pipes of the Middle East Forum, whom he describes as a longtime Middle East expert on Iran and its wider effects. 3. The episode asks whether the five Canadian stories and the Iran war together explain why an Albertan might consider staying in Canada or separating from it. 4. Ezra opens with Justice Davin Garg of the Ontario Court of Justice ruling that the sex offender registry for pedophiles, rapists, and other sex criminals is unconstitutional. 5. He then cites Josh DeHaas on the Supreme Court of Canada’s 8-to-1 decision that Quebec excluded asylum seekers from taxpayers’ subsidized daycare in a way that discriminates against mothers. 6. The Toronto Star headline Ezra reads says Canada will grant 33,000 foreign workers permanent residence, which he says hides the fact that the workers are temporary foreign workers. 7. Ezra also quotes Tom Isaac on the Musqueam First Nation agreements, calling it “absolutely unacceptable” that public governments signed Aboriginal title deals without consulting the public. 8. He adds the BC Human Rights Tribunal’s $750,000 penalty against former Chilliwack trustee Barry Neufeld for saying biological sex is real and opposing gender ideology in schools. 9. Ezra argues that Alberta is moving in a different direction, citing “Peterson’s Law” and the idea that doctors, lawyers, accountants, and engineers should not lose their jobs over political speech. 10. He says the Alberta question is whether these national developments give Albertans a reason to stay in Canada or a reason to “separate from the madness.” 11. Ezra says Albertans he has met in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat are among the most patriotic Canadians, even among people open to independence. 12. He links Alberta separatist sentiment to anger over removing Sir John A. Macdonald from the $10 bill, changing the national anthem lyrics, and tearing down statues. 13. Pipes calls the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iran a “special police operation,” not a war like Ukraine, because he says the outcome is already known. 14. Pipes says the open questions are casualties, the cost in oil revenues, and the implications for Persian Gulf Arab states. 15. He says a Venezuela-style transition is unlikely in Iran because the regime is ideologically and religiously rooted, unlike Nicolás Maduro’s system. 16. Pipes points to Kurdish forces in Iraq and western Iran as a possible land campaign, while warning that no one knows whether the goal is regime change or only destroying nuclear and ballistic capabilities. 17. He supports Reza Pahlavi as a transitional figure, says he is not trying to resurrect the Shah, and calls him the best option available if Iran needs a placeholder leader. 18. Pipes describes Iran as a small empire where Persians make up about half the population and where Azeris, Kurds, and Baluch create major internal tension. 19. The interview tone is blunt and argumentative, with Ezra pressing Pipes on Trump, Marco Rubio, China, Russia, and whether allies like Keir Starmer are withholding support for domestic political reasons. 20. People interested in Canadian politics, Alberta separatism, and Iran policy would likely follow this episode, while listeners wanting a neutral news roundup or low-conflict discussion may skip it.

As heard by us

A brisk conservative take on Canada, then a broad Iran discussion.

The episode starts with five short stories about Canada in 2026, then shifts into a long talk with Daniel Pipes about Iran and what it could mean beyond the region, including China.

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Why you'd press play

Want a brisk, combative tour of Canada's pressure points, then a long Iran discussion with Daniel Pipes?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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