The plaintiff, former Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, brought defamation actions against the defendants over allegations of antisemitism.
The defendants brought anti-SLAPP motions to dismiss the actions.
Two organizations, Independent Jewish Voices Canada and the National Council of Canadian Muslims, brought motions to intervene in the anti-SLAPP motions to provide perspective on the meaning of antisemitism.
The court dismissed the motions to intervene, finding that anti-SLAPP motions are intended to be expeditious, preliminary screening mechanisms, and that adding interveners would unnecessarily expand the evidentiary record and scope of the private dispute.
The court also ordered that the defendants, as moving parties, would present their arguments first at the anti-SLAPP hearing.
