Words
...remember his track record. And think about his claims of legal expertise (which are contrary to the Alberta Law Society's Code of Professional Conduct, I hear).
...
National News
Tory ex-senator wins apology in libel suit
SHAWN McCARTHY
Parliamentary Bureau
374 words
11 April 2000
The Globe and Mail
Metro
A7
Ottawa -- Former senator Ron Ghitter has won an apology and undisclosed payment from Canadian Alliance MP Rob Anders and Ezra Levant, a former senior adviser to Preston Manning, for defamation...
Mr. Anders and Mr. Levant, an ex-Reform Party aide and former editorial writer for the National Post, issued an apology to Mr. Ghitter yesterday for making false and defamatory statements about him...
The Calgary West MP said the settlement -- which included a donation to two charities and payment of Mr. Ghitter's legal costs -- cost less than what the trial costs would be.
"Lawsuits are often a balancing of pride versus economics. And so we swallowed a little bit of pride in order to be able to get a resignation and also be able to scrutinize the Senate," he said.
In September of 1998, Mr. Levant penned a fundraising letter, signed by Mr. Anders and circulated to 31,000 Albertans, which accused Mr. Ghitter of being lazy and un-Albertan.
Mr. Ghitter demanded an apology and when the two refused, launched a defamation suit. Yesterday, with the suit scheduled to go to trial, Mr. Anders and Mr. Levant recanted.
...
News
Alliance drops Silcoff crusade: 'There will be no complaint' as party has no evidence
Sheldon Alberts
National Post
863 words
4 May 2001
National Post
National
A01 / Front
English
(c) National Post 2001. All Rights Reserved.
OTTAWA - Stockwell Day has withdrawn allegations of conflict of interest against a Quebec judge who authorized a raid on the home of the former president of the Business Development Bank of Canada.
One week after Alliance officials declared they would file a complaint with the Canadian Judicial Council against Quebec Superior Court Justice Joel Silcoff, Mr. Day's leadership team admits they have no evidence to support their claim.
"There will be no complaint. The judge is an honourable person. There will be no further action taken at all," said John Reynolds, Alliance House leader.
The decision comes amid the threat of a lawsuit against Mr. Day by Justice Silcoff, who still wants an apology.
"I would hope that an apology would be forthcoming," said Yves Fortier, Judge Silcoff's lawyer. "It's clear from that statement by Mr. Reynolds that the leader did not have the facts which justified his statement. I can only conclude that the statement was an irresponsible one."
Mr. Day last month challenged Judge Silcoff's impartiality after he signed a supplementary order on the means in which an April 7 seizure of documents at the home of Francois Beaudoin, a former BDC president, could proceed.
Mr. Beaudoin's home was raided so police could search for documents related to the bank's approval of a loan to a businessman in Jean Chretien's riding.
Mr. Day held a news conference in Kelowna on April 9 and said it was improper for Judge Silcoff to consider the BDC raid request as he had been, until recently, a partner in the law firm that represented 161341 Canada Inc., owner of the Grand-Mere Golf Club.
Mr. Day said the judge should have recused himself and that his action "raises very serious questions about the [judge's] impartiality.
"It is very interesting, to say the very least, and very hard to understand, that this judge did not excuse himself from the case because of this -- what appears to be -- this very clear conflict," Mr. Day said at the time.
Ezra Levant, Mr. Day's director of communications, initially echoed the leader's allegations against Judge Silcoff, saying the case involved "possibly even the corruption of the judiciary."
But after spending $5,000 to hire a lawyer to determine whether Mr. Day's complaints had enough merit to launch an official complaint, Mr. Reynolds said the Alliance now accepts Judge Silcoff's word that he had no knowledge of his former firm's involvement.
Mr. Day did not speak to Judge Silcoff before making his initial allegation.
"Now we have gone about getting the answer in a proper manner, and I am very pleased there was no conflict and even now there is no perceived conflict," Mr. Reynolds said...
See related column "When a leader becomes repugnant" by Andrew Coyne on page A15.
... News
National News
Tory ex-senator wins apology in libel suit
SHAWN McCARTHY
Parliamentary Bureau
374 words
11 April 2000
The Globe and Mail
Metro
A7
Ottawa -- Former senator Ron Ghitter has won an apology and undisclosed payment from Canadian Alliance MP Rob Anders and Ezra Levant, a former senior adviser to Preston Manning, for defamation...
Mr. Anders and Mr. Levant, an ex-Reform Party aide and former editorial writer for the National Post, issued an apology to Mr. Ghitter yesterday for making false and defamatory statements about him...
The Calgary West MP said the settlement -- which included a donation to two charities and payment of Mr. Ghitter's legal costs -- cost less than what the trial costs would be.
"Lawsuits are often a balancing of pride versus economics. And so we swallowed a little bit of pride in order to be able to get a resignation and also be able to scrutinize the Senate," he said.
In September of 1998, Mr. Levant penned a fundraising letter, signed by Mr. Anders and circulated to 31,000 Albertans, which accused Mr. Ghitter of being lazy and un-Albertan.
Mr. Ghitter demanded an apology and when the two refused, launched a defamation suit. Yesterday, with the suit scheduled to go to trial, Mr. Anders and Mr. Levant recanted.
News
Alliance drops Silcoff crusade: 'There will be no complaint' as party has no evidence
Sheldon Alberts
National Post
863 words
4 May 2001
National Post
National
A01 / Front
English
(c) National Post 2001. All Rights Reserved.
OTTAWA - Stockwell Day has withdrawn allegations of conflict of interest against a Quebec judge who authorized a raid on the home of the former president of the Business Development Bank of Canada.
One week after Alliance officials declared they would file a complaint with the Canadian Judicial Council against Quebec Superior Court Justice Joel Silcoff, Mr. Day's leadership team admits they have no evidence to support their claim.
"There will be no complaint. The judge is an honourable person. There will be no further action taken at all," said John Reynolds, Alliance House leader.
The decision comes amid the threat of a lawsuit against Mr. Day by Justice Silcoff, who still wants an apology.
"I would hope that an apology would be forthcoming," said Yves Fortier, Judge Silcoff's lawyer. "It's clear from that statement by Mr. Reynolds that the leader did not have the facts which justified his statement. I can only conclude that the statement was an irresponsible one."
Mr. Day last month challenged Judge Silcoff's impartiality after he signed a supplementary order on the means in which an April 7 seizure of documents at the home of Francois Beaudoin, a former BDC president, could proceed.
Mr. Beaudoin's home was raided so police could search for documents related to the bank's approval of a loan to a businessman in Jean Chretien's riding.
Mr. Day held a news conference in Kelowna on April 9 and said it was improper for Judge Silcoff to consider the BDC raid request as he had been, until recently, a partner in the law firm that represented 161341 Canada Inc., owner of the Grand-Mere Golf Club.
Mr. Day said the judge should have recused himself and that his action "raises very serious questions about the [judge's] impartiality.
"It is very interesting, to say the very least, and very hard to understand, that this judge did not excuse himself from the case because of this -- what appears to be -- this very clear conflict," Mr. Day said at the time.
Ezra Levant, Mr. Day's director of communications, initially echoed the leader's allegations against Judge Silcoff, saying the case involved "possibly even the corruption of the judiciary."
But after spending $5,000 to hire a lawyer to determine whether Mr. Day's complaints had enough merit to launch an official complaint, Mr. Reynolds said the Alliance now accepts Judge Silcoff's word that he had no knowledge of his former firm's involvement.
Mr. Day did not speak to Judge Silcoff before making his initial allegation.
"Now we have gone about getting the answer in a proper manner, and I am very pleased there was no conflict and even now there is no perceived conflict," Mr. Reynolds said...
See related column "When a leader becomes repugnant" by Andrew Coyne on page A15.