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Veniez drops lawsuit after Weston apology

Dan Veniez has dropped his defamation suit against John Weston after the Conservative member of Parliament apologized to the former federal Liberal Party candidate for information distributed by the Weston campaign workers just before the 2011 electi

Dan Veniez has dropped his defamation suit against John Weston after the Conservative member of Parliament apologized to the former federal Liberal Party candidate for information distributed by the Weston campaign workers just before the 2011 election.

In his letter, dated May 11 and sent to Veniez's lawyer, Jay Straith, Weston wrote that while he had no knowledge of an email and YouTube video before they were distributed during the campaign, "I apologize for not asking for your comment before the distribution of the YouTube video and email were made.

"I know of no basis for a suggestion that you acted unethically, dishonestly or unlawfully in your work with Skeena Cellulose Inc," Weston said.

Veniez filed a notice of civil claim for defamation on April 29, 2011, three days before the federal election, naming Weston, former Skeena Group employee Paul Veltmeyer and the makers of the YouTube video, identified in the filing as John and Jane Doe.

The Veniez campaign claimed an email from Veltmeyer was distributed by Weston campaign workers at all-candidates' events in the West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky riding and that the video was linked to a Weston campaign Facebook page.

Veniez was president of Skeena Cellulose before it went into bankruptcy in September 2004.

During the campaign, people wearing Weston buttons and T-shirts "were openly distributing copies of an email claiming that Veniez was somehow responsible for pension shortfalls incurred when the former Skeena Cellulose operation in Prince Rupert went into bankruptcy," according to the Veniez's original court filing.

In a statement emailed to the media on May 18, Veniez said that after receiving Weston's letter of apology, he had agreed to withdraw his defamation suit. He added, though, that he still intends to pursue the complaints filed against Weston and his campaign with Elections Canada.

Weston won last year's election handily, garnering 45.53 per cent of the vote. Veniez finished a distant third, with 22.5 per cent of the vote. NDP candidate Terry Platt edged out Veniez for second place.

"While I doubt that Mr. Weston and his team's actions affected the outcome of the election, they certainly reflect a cheapness and cynicism that should have no place in public life," Veniez wrote. "Furthermore, as a lawyer, Mr. Weston should have known better.

"Until the Canadian public declares that this kind of cheap and gutter politics is unworthy of those who offer to stand for office, it will continue. And people like Mr. Weston will be able to get away with issuing an apology a year after the damage is done. That's what the calculation is: destroy your opponent, win the election by any means necessary, and hope that people forget about it -until next time."

Veniez's statement described in some detail his and his business partners' efforts to save Skeena Cellulose from bankruptcy, a process he described as "by far the most difficult thing I have ever had to do." It involved a lengthy bankruptcy court proceeding involving highly regarded professionals in the field, Veniez said.

"Had anything untoward happened with employee pensions, they would have known and alerted the court," he wrote. "Moreover, employees themselves would have done the same."