Kielburger mom’s defamation lawsuit against Canadaland to go to trial
TORONTO — A defamation lawsuit filed by the mother of Marc and Craig Kielburger against the Canadaland podcast and its host will head to trial after an Ontario court rejected an application to have it thrown out, finding there is reason to believe the claim has “substantial merit.”
Canadaland, its host Jesse Brown and others involved in the podcast had sought to have the lawsuit – which centres on an August 2021 episode about the Kielburger-founded WE Organization – dismissed under legislation meant to protect people from litigation intended to silence critics or public debate.
In a ruling released earlier this month, an Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit against Isabel Vincent, a reporter who was a guest on the episode, but ruled it should proceed against Brown and Canadaland.
The ruling by Justice Edward Morgan found there is no reason to believe Brown and Canadaland have “any valid defence,” noting the episode omitted key information in a way that undermined its objectivity and Brown showed a “callous disregard” for Theresa Kielburger’s reputation in an affidavit.