Ousted Candidate Sues Green Party

VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) – An ousted political candidate claims the Green Party of Canada conspired to defame him with false accusations of anti-Semitism. John Shavluk sued the Green Party and its leader Elizabeth May in B.C. Supreme Court.     In his pro se complaint, Shavluk claims the defendants defamed him in a press release announcing that he’d lost the nomination because of “revelations that he made comments in 2006 on an online discussion forum that could be construed as anti-Semitic.”     Shavluk claims he “merely repeated comments of others which were already in the public domain.”      He alleges that the controversial statements already were well known to the party and the leader and that they knew he wasn’t anti-Semitic.     He seeks punitive damages for libel and conspiracy.