The Buffalo Party in Saskatchewan continued to face legal challenges before the election 鈥� this time, the Progressive Group for Independent Business Inc. 鈥� a membership-funded conservative-minded business group in Canada founded in 1992 鈥� issued a defamation notice to the party鈥檚 leader, Wade Sira, on Oct.22.
PGIB as a fiscally conservative organization in Canada advocating for smaller governments, lower taxes and governmental accountability across the board.
PGIB鈥檚 CEO, Craig Chandler, gave notice of the organization鈥檚 intentions to bring an action under the Defamation Act against Sira under section 13 of the Defamation Act, RSA 2000 c.
PGIB had given notice of the lawsuit served as a Statement of Claim from the Calgary-based solicitor and barrister, Jonathan B. Denis.
The defamatory affairs brought about by the Progressive Group of Independent Business Inc. included the words broadcasted by Sira on recent Google reviews about Chandler and PGIB.
PGIB responded, saying the allegations by Sira were false and without merit.
According to the lawsuit, Sira stated online on a Facebook video: 鈥淒o not believe everything you have seen in the mainstream media. They are attacking me by using media trolls like Craig Chandler.鈥�
In underlining Sira鈥檚 growing distaste with his former allies, the PGIB, he stated 鈥淭his is a frivolous and vexatious lawsuit (PGIB鈥檚) putting forward to try and discredit the Buffalo Party,鈥� as recorded in an Oct. 20 interview with the Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
Sira also referenced his growing issues with PGIB as 鈥淎n ugly piece of politics that is not doing any good for the people of Saskatchewan.鈥�
Earlier this month, Sira and Buffalo Party candidate, Constance Maffenbeier, were sued for breach of contract by PGIB over breach of contract issues related to the management of their campaigns. According to the PGIB, contracts signed by both Sira and Maffenbeier on September 21 were in breach once they cancelled their contracts on October 1, despite the completion of thousands of dollars of work before additional PGIB support staff had arrived from Calgary to assist Sira and the Buffalo Party, according to Chris Tan, the Saskatchewan Chair for PGIB.
鈥淭hese people and this party are unethical,鈥� Tan said. 鈥淲e were听asked to create a new logo and slogan and we did.听Then听we were told that we had to revert back to the older logo, but were then permitted to add some wording听we adapted.鈥� 听
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