Jan 082013
 

TIME-LINE, 2006

DRAFT,    a starting point.

I did a quick look for the date that Vellacott filed a Statement of Claim with the Court (would have been prior to May 2006 when Hesje filed Defence).   I could only find the 2007 newspaper report.   Maybe Vellacott filed the papers and then didn’t do a press release until 2007??  I looked up the press releases on his MP website.  Could not find one.

Regarding the 2007 newspaper report.  From our conversation:  I understand  You were not contacted in 2007.  You did not see the news report;  you did not receive another round of media calls.  (Maybe because your old phone number was disconnected?)  You know about the article now because of the research to try and understand what happened.

ALSO:  Vellacott’s second lawsuit was against FN Eric Hovius who was in 2nd year law at the time.   Reference  Anti-Vellacott website a Liberal plot, candidate says,  January 16, 2006, CBC News, http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2006/01/16/vellacott060116.html 

If you google Eric Hovius, you can see where he is now an active lawyer on FN issues.

I think it would be worthwhile to contact Hovius later and just talk to him.  What happened to the lawsuit against him?  He MIGHT have something of value to add, who knows?

2006 

January

          17  Shaw Cable TV all-candidates for Stoon-Wanuskewin

21  Star Phoenix article re “Conservatives want Axworthy dumped”  (sleazy tactics,  Shaw Cable TV programme)

23   Federal Election

March 

    Vellacott files Statement of Claim with the Court

         ?     Winegarden hired by Liberals, meets with Laliberte, is fired.

April 

Hesje arranges meeting at his office: Vellacott, V’s lawyer,  and George.  George apologizes to Vellacott and advises that he does not have money to pay what Vellacott wants.

(This is the last that George hears until January 2012.  See  3.  Ballantyne   Summary & Time-Line)

May

04  Hesje files Statement of Defence for Laliberte

October

16    Laliberte suffers major heart attack and has 5-bypass surgery 10 days later

2007

February

16   Star Phoenix report, Vellacott is suing Laliberte  (and Hovius)

http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=5af40080-2817-4b2d-8696-304f7152d622&sponsor=

Vellacott lawsuits claim defamation

Saskatoon-Wanuskewin Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott is suing two men who he claims defamed him during the 2006 federal election.

By The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) February 16, 2007

Saskatoon-Wanuskewin Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott is suing two men who he claims defamed him during the 2006 federal election.

In the first statement of claim, it is alleged George Laliberte damaged Vellacott’s reputation when he phoned a Jan. 17, 2006, call-in show on cable television and asked if Vellacott had been removed from North Park Church because he’d been charged with sexual assault on his secretary.

Vellacott, the Conservative incumbent and a former pastor, denied the allegation and soon discovered the call came from the campaign office of his Liberal opponent, Chris Axworthy. Axworthy denied responsibility for the volunteer’s actions.

Vellacott claims the question implies he acted illegally, is of poor character, without conscience and has acted reprehensibly, provoking decent persons to speak out against him.

It damaged his reputation and brought him into public scandal, ridicule and contempt, the statement of claim says.

He claims general damages for defamation of not more than $50,000 and punitive or exemplary damages of not more than $50,000.

Laliberte, who also goes by the name of George Aubichon, admits in a statement of defence that he placed the phone call and asked the question.

But he denies the question constitutes defamation and denies he acted maliciously in asking it.

If the question is found to be defamatory, Laliberte denies Vellacott’s reputation was damaged.

Vellacott and Laliberte could not immediately be reached Thursday. It is not clear if the lawsuit will proceed.

Vellacott’s second lawsuit is against Eric Hovius, who Vellacott claims maintained an Internet website at www.voteoutvellacott.com before the Jan. 23 election.

The site contained numerous defamatory statements calculated to disparage Vellacott, he alleges in the claim for not more than $50,000 in damages.

The website accused Vellacott of political mail fraud that cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, pocketing the MP’s housing allowance, trying to stop a 13-year-old child from getting potentially life-saving cancer treatments and of being investigated by Elections Canada for using his taxpayer-funded mobile constituency office to promote himself during campaign events.

The statements are “absolutely fictitious” or are “erroneous conclusions or unfair comments unsubstantiated by the facts,” and are presented out of context, leaving readers unable to make reasoned judgments about the veracity of the conclusions, Vellacott claims.

The words mean he “is a criminal and a thief, having illegally squandered or misappropriated significant sums of tax dollars, that he acts without conscience or remorse and is generally a man of such debased character that his conduct should cause decent persons to vote against him and to use every effort to prevent him from being re-elected,” Vellacott claims.

The publication damaged his reputation and brought him into public scandal, ridicule and contempt, he claims.

In a statement of defence, Hovius denies he authored, constructed or maintained the website and denies writing or publishing the statements.

Hovius denies the statements are defamatory or were capable of the meanings ascribed to them. He also responds that the statements are “true in substance and in fact,” and are opinion and fair comment about how an MP used government funds.

“There is no principle more important in our political system than that there be public discussion about the qualifications of those who wish to hold public trust,” Hovius states.

If he is found to have published the statements, he had “an interest or duty, legal, social or moral, to publish the words,” and the public had an interest or duty to receive them, he states. The information came from newspapers cited on the website, he states.

Hovius denies Vellacott’s reputation was damaged by the website statements since they had been published elsewhere previously and had been already discussed publicly.

The matter went to civil mediation but it is unclear if the case is proceeding.

Hovius could not be reached Thursday.

badam@sp.canwest.com

© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

 

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