Union Misconduct Can Fall Within Public Interest
Defamation cases, and the anti-SLAPP provisions under the Libel and Slander Act, continue to be interpreted in new and novel contexts.
In Nanda v. McEwan, the Divisional Court heard an appeal of a Small Claims Court motion in a defamation action, involving statements made during the election campaign for President of the Toronto Local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (“CUPW”). The statements were made in print, and in two invitation-only WhatsApp groups, and included the following statements about the plaintiff:
- he was a racist, a bigot, a sexist, a bully and a thief;
- he was corrupt;
- he