Well, this past week was a big one for Canadian democracy, hey? Four federal by-elections in one day. Big stuff when you consider we're a country with a minority government. And the numbers, they tell quite the story. In fact, they tell multiple stories.

For the Conservatives, who picked up one seat, the numbers spelled victory. For the Liberals, who picked up three seats, the numbers spelled victory. And for the NDP, who picked up zero seats, somehow the numbers spelled victory. Apparently, the numbers told more stories than Stephen Harper has personalities.

But one number you didn't hear any of the national leaders talk about was 72. 72 as in 72 percent. As in 72 percent of eligible voters didn't vote. They stayed at home. Now personally, I don't believe that there's an excuse for not voting; but the numbers don't lie, and a 72 percent no-show, that's not just a case of voter apathy – that's a full-on allergic reaction. Basically, the numbers are telling us the average Canadian voter feels like some guy who can't eat eggs without being sick being told his choices are scrambled, fried or poached.

And so why aren't any of the national leaders talking about this problem? Well because it's their fault. They're the ones in the kitchen and 72 percent of the electorate, they just don't like what's on the menu. In fact, the only party that has any bragging rights at all after these by-elections is Elizabeth May's Green Party because they're the only party whose numbers went up. And what's more impressive is that people who actually voted for the Greens did so knowing full well that none of their candidates would actually win. But yet they still managed to get out of bed before five or six o'clock in the evening and vote - which for a lot of Green Party members, that's quite the accomplishment.

Now I'm not saying they're a full-on movement. But at least they're moving, which is more than I can say for the rest of them. And as far as I can tell, it looks like they're here to stay – which is a good thing because Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, and Jack Layton are looking pretty stale and Elizabeth May is a welcome addition. Because as any chef will tell you, a little bit of vinegar brightens up the vegetables.

People who cover politics in this country, they know the name Ezra Levant. The rest of the country, they couldn't pick him out of a line-up. Which I always believed was a very good thing because, without a doubt, he is one of the most aggravating men on this earth. And I only say that because – in full disclosure – he happens to be a friend of mine. I've known him for over 10 years.

The last time I saw Ezra I was doing a show in Alberta. The audience, they were all conservationists, they were saving rivers. Ezra picked me up after the show for a beer. I walked out front, there was Ezra, leaning against his hummer smoking a cigar and, yes, the engine was running.

Which I'm sure he did purely for my benefit. The man is a provocateur, he is an agitator, and now thanks to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, god forbid, he's a freedom fighter because he has been defending his actions in front of that tribunal for the past two years. He has no idea when it's gonna end, he has no right to a speedy trial, he has to pay his own legal costs, his accusers do not.

So what is it that Ezra did? Well he published the Western Standard; which, in my opinion, is a completely nutty magazine. He once published a column by a stay-at-home mother of nine who offered witty tips from her pastor on how to avoid your children turning out gay. But to be fair to Ezra, every time I'd complain he'd say the same thing: "You should write your own column. I'll publish it next week. Word for word." If nothing else, Ezra believes in freedom of speech.

Which is why I knew, when half the world exploded because some newspaper in Denmark published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, Ezra would republish those cartoons so we could see what all the fuss was about. Yes, it would offend people, but I knew he'd do it anyway. Because that's what Ezra does. But hey, it's a free country.

Well, it used to be. Since then, he's spent over a hundred thousand dollars defending his right to republish the cartoons. And his magazine – well, the irony there is they went out of business. The gods of the free market took care of that. Turns out, not that many people were interested in what the magazine had to say. So it's gone. But if we're not careful, if we force the Ezras in this country to shut up, our freedom of speech could be next.