CALGARY — Political strategist Karim Jivraj took the stand on Tuesday in former UCP nomination candidate Caylan Ford’s $7.65 million defamation lawsuit as the court heard evidence that he actively pitched story ideas against her to Press Progress.Jivraj is accused of being the central figure behind 2019 allegations that derailed Ford’s political career and were first published by the NDP-linked Press Progress, portraying her as a “parachute candidate” favoured by then-Alberta premier Jason Kenney, as well as suggesting she held “white nationalist” views.The court listened to a recorded March 2019 phone conversation in which Jivraj could be heard outlining multiple potential stories about Ford to Press Progress reporter Luke LeBrun, discussing how the stories could be used for maximum political impact or as “bombshells.”LeBrun raised concerns over the possibility of his outlet being sued for libel, noting that he needed verification that the Facebook Messenger screenshots of a conversation between Jivraj and Ford were indeed real, with Jivraj willing to provide a signed affidavit, saying a document with legal weight such as that would support authenticity..'CANVAS OF CHAOS': Witness alleges Karim Jivraj left wake of political destruction in Caylan Ford defamation trial.In the phone call, Jivraj suggested the messages should be released in a deliberate manner to be “devastating,” while Kenney still had the ability to “disqualify” candidates such as Ford.Jivraj went on to offer help in lining up sources for the stories, telling LeBrun he could connect the reporter with individuals willing to comment.Later, in questioning from Ford’s lawyer, Richard Harrison, a January 2019 email attributed to Jivraj and sent anonymously to Press Progress suggested that it would be a prudent time to publish a story in light of conservative reactions to the Christchurch terrorist attack in New Zealand.“Now would not be the worst time to do an article on this,” the email read.The court heard the email allegedly outlined multiple political narratives, including references to the UCP’s broader strategy as well as Muslim representation within the party, while attaching screenshots attributed to Ford from her Facebook Messenger conversations with Jivraj.“I think it's fair to say, I suggested a few different stories,” Jivraj told the court.Further testimony showed LeBrun indicated he had a draft of a story, which Jivraj provided some suggestions for inclusion, such as Kenney’s involvement in recruiting Ford and claims about efforts to “tip the scales” in favour of her nomination campaign.The court heard that several of the suggestions made were later reflected in the published Press Progress article, but Jivraj testified he did not specifically recall the final content of the piece.The court also heard that in previous testimony, Jivraj revealed he had “stupidly” posted numerous extreme statements about himself under several different accounts on Twitter in the hopes that Ford’s allegations of criminality against him would “look silly,” explaining he was stressed and feared for his future at the time due to the allegations..UCP officials feared ‘what else might be lurking in the shadows’ during Caylan Ford debacle .Harrison put to Jivraj that he had posted these tweets in order to show that his “detractors” and Ford’s supporters were “racist” and lacked credibility.Jivraj testified that he didn’t remember publishing the specific tweets.Harrison later asked Jivraj about his process of selecting messages and providing them to Press Progress, and later to CBC and the Toronto Star, and whether it was done to support a narrative that Ford held certain "white nationalist" views.“Yep, in a broad sense,” Jivraj said.When Harrison pressed him on why he provided selected messages from his conversation with Ford rather than the full exchange, Jivraj said he chose messages he found “relevant and concerning” and that could make for a good story.Asked what he meant by a “good narrative,” Jivraj responded with, “interplay between race and culture.”Harrison put to Jivraj that he did not include messages authored by Ford to media outlets that contradicted the narrative he was trying to advance.Jivraj said that was possible.“[It’s] also possible I thought her answers were disingenuous,” he said.Earlier, Jivraj had testified that the public had a right to know the views of Caylan Ford, as a candidate in the political arena.Harrison asked why the public did not also have a right to know her complete views on this particular topic.“I don’t know the answer to your question,” Jivraj said.The trial remains ongoing.
