The Alberta NDP has selected Executive Director Garett Spelliscy as its litigation representative in former United Conservative Party candidate Caylan Ford’s (Calgary-Mountain View) $7.65 million defamation case, the Western Standard has learned. Ford has filed a defamation lawsuit against Spelliscy and 13 other people and organizations for smearing her as a white supremacist during the 2019 Alberta election. “The Defendant, Garett Spelliscy (‘Spelliscy’) is an individual resident to Edmonton, Alberta, and is appointed as the litigation representative for the Alberta New Democratic Party, also known as Alberta’s NDP and Alberta’s New Democratic Party (collectively, the ‘NDP’) in accordance with the April 24, 2024 Order of the Honourable Madam Justice [Corina] Dario,” said Ford’s lawyer Richard E. Harrison in a court filing. The Alberta UCP saw Ford as a star candidate in the 2019 election, as she was recruited by former premier Jason Kenney to run in Calgary-Mountain View. READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: How a Conservative candidate worked with the NDP to bring down star UCP candidateCanadian political operative Karim Jivraj destroyed her candidacy by planting false stories about her in Press Progress. Edited parts of private philosophical conversations involving her were given to Press Progress, with the NDP saying she was a white supremacist.She ended up resigning her candidacy to avoid becoming a distraction to the UCP’s campaign. The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta ruled in March the NDP does not have legal capacity for the defamation lawsuit brought against it by Ford. READ MORE: Court says Alberta NDP does not exist“For years, the Alberta NDP has escaped legal accountably,” she said. “That seems to be coming to an end.”.Harrison went on to say Spelliscy was acting in his capacity as an employee for the NDP. He added he was acting in the course of his employment and with the full knowledge and consent of it. Since the NDP does not have legal standing, he is liable for statements made by it. Polls showed Calgary-Mountain View was a battleground constituency in the 2019 election, with the UCP and NDP being competitive. The NDP candidate was former Alberta justice minister and solicitor general Kathleen Ganley. Since it was a critical seat and Ganley was at risk of suffering an electoral loss to Ford, Harrison alleged the NDP and its agents “engaged in a co-ordinated campaign to destroy Ford’s reputation and undermine her candidacy, with the ultimate goal of preventing her from appearing on the ballot in the April 2019 provincial election.” After Press Progress published its story accusing Ford of being a white supremacist, the NDP posted a press release on its website asking why she remained on the ballot. The press release linked to the story and demanded her removal as a candidate. Harrison said this publication is false and defamatory, alleging she held hateful views. The meaning conveyed in this publication is Ford a white supremist, a bigot, and unfit to hold elected office. The comments made by Press Progress and the NDP were published one day before the election was called. He said these statements were made in malice to force her resignation or expulsion, and they had the intended effect. When it comes to compensation from the defendants, Ford is seeking $5 million in damages; $2 million in punitive damages; $150,000 in damages against Press Progress, CBC, and Jivraj for intrusion upon her seclusion; and $500,000 for intentional infliction of mental suffering. Harrison concluded by saying the defendants’ actions “constitute a high-handed, malicious and reckless course of action, calculated to cause injury and catastrophic reputational damage to Ford.”“The Defendants individually and collectively knew or should have known that the effect of these statements would be to injure Ford, and they behaved with either a willful or a reckless disregard for the truth,” he said. “Accordingly, the Defendants are properly the subject of an award of aggravated, punitive, and exemplary damages.” Ford said she appreciated Spelliscy’s willingness to put his name forward as the NDP’s litigation representative. “After nearly four years, this allows us to finally move forward with the litigation and to seek transparency and redress for what transpired in the 2019 provincial election,” she said. Spelliscy and the Alberta NDP could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
