Source in column mulled quitting Kent campaign

Lawyers for one of Canada’s largest media companies sought to prove in court Thursday that Arthur Kent, a former television reporter turned aspiring politician, was a loose cannon with his own agenda when he ran for a seat in the Alberta legislature.

Kent’s lawsuit against Postmedia, the National Post and columnist Don Martin alleges they defamed him when he was campaigning to win the Calgary Currie seat for the Progressive Conservatives in the 2008 provincial election.

A Martin column during the campaign included details from unnamed sources that described Kent as a “lone ranger” who failed to toe the party line and was difficult to deal with. They said Kent was not co-operating with the party and that a number of key campaign members were threatening to quit. The piece ran under the headline “Alberta’s ‘Scud Stud’ a ‘Dud’ on Campaign Trail.” Kent was known as the “Scud Stud” from his days reporting on the Gulf War for NBC.

Kristine Robidoux, a prominent Calgary lawyer who worked on Kent’s campaign, has been identified as one of the sources Martin used for his column. On Thursday, she admitted under cross-examination that she was angry at Kent during the campaign and was considering quitting because he seemed to be at odds with the PC party and leader Ed Stelmach. Robidoux said she shared private emails with Martin, which included complaints between the Tory campaign chairman and party brass expressing concerns about Kent not abiding by the rules. She testified Wednesday she was “physically ill” when she saw the article.