Ezra Levant is not a household name, but - if you're not already aware of him - you'll be forgiven for pausing a moment to wonder why the name sounds familiar.
And then you can thank the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
Levant is that champion of free speech who famously published offending Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad while publisher of the now-defunct ultra right wing magazine, The Western Standard, only to be hauled before that commission and grilled over the coals.
What were they thinking?
The highly predictable response from the majority of North American opinion writers was to pan the so-called "human rights" commission and laud Levant as a hero fighting for freedom of the press.
His right to be a provocateur and agitator became a call to arms against Canada's apparent flirt with censorship to accommodate special interest groups.
Oddly, most of Levant's defenders would probably find his views - not to mention his polarizing style - highly offensive.
He found the right crowd in Prince George, however, when he spoke to the BC Chamber of Commerce during its annual general meeting Tuesday.
Levant was sharing his views on "Ethical Oil" (also the title to one of his books), and he couldn't have ordered up a warmer group of people.
His semi-racist comments against the Saudis and over-simplified notions of Canada's heroism, which he used to support Alberta tar sands, seemed to touch the hearts of business-minded folks stinging from the landslide of environmental protests against the very lucrative oil industry.
And who can blame them? Levant's rhetoric was good stuff - entertaining, exuberant, intelligent and humourous.
But make no mistake, he is merely the flip side of a coin that has leftist extremists on the other side - both use self-righteousness, exaggeration and manipulation to fulfill an agenda.
Levant began with music to our ears: "Can we have a mature discussion about oil?" Yes please!
Then immediately blows his credibility by making such kooky statements as reducing First Nations protestors into pawns for outside interests (and not of the environmental kind) paid by lobby groups to make trouble - because surely these people can't have a thought for themselves.
And he warns people against believing alternate sources of energy - which he clownishly calls "dilithium crystals" of Star Trek fame - will ever successfully replace oil.
But he omits alternate energy methods already exist like biofuels, biodiesel and even electricity.
And did you know there's 6.5 millilitres of Darfurian blood with every litre of oil from Sudan?
Really Ezra? 6.5? Are you sure that's not 7 or maybe even 7.5?
Nonetheless, his point is not lost... just well hidden in all that glitz and showbiz.
Don't forget, Levant was celebrated on Glenn Beck's television show - the most outlandishly self-righteous and emotional Fox News talking head there is. (He calls Canada's treatment of Levant "some sort of Orwellian 1984 hell.")
And it turns out that interview was just a pre-cursor to Levant himself becoming a talking head on Canada's version of Fox, the new right wing broadcasting initiative Sun TV.
Is it any wonder he's such a showman?
In the end, Levant pleased the crowd, got a standing ovation and earned his speaker's payment.
So yes, Levant has every right to be heard. And we congratulate him for his steadfast resolve against censorship, and for parlaying the Alberta Human Rights Commission's dishonorable behaviour into a thriving career.
-- Prince George Citizen
