Arthur Kent painted as 'lone ranger' by Postmedia lawyer at defamation trial

Lawyers for Canada's largest newspaper chain are painting Arthur Kent as a 'lone ranger' who refused advice from his campaign team during his bid for a seat as a Progressive Conservative in the 2008 election.

Email correspondence between Kristine Robidoux, a lawyer who worked on Kent's campaign, other key members of the team, and provincial Tories was introduced as evidence through her cross-examination on Day 4 of Kent's defamationtrial.

Robidoux was one of three sources for the column by journalist Don Martin that is at the centre of the defamation trial.

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Kent who was nicknamed the "ScudStud" for his reporting during the Persian Gulf Warfor an American networkhadbeen seekinga seat as a Progressive Conservative.

Martin, who was then a National Post columnist, wrote about Kent's campaign in the riding of Calgary-Currie. He referred to Kent as the "Scud Dud," and according to the statement of claimdescribed him as having an oversized ego and running an unorganized campaign.

Kent claimed the article injured his reputation, character and credibility prompting aprolonged lawsuit against Postmedia Network, among others.

Kent 'difficult' to control

The judge heard evidence today that Kent was causing grief for his campaign team and was considered 'difficult' to control.

Robidoux agreed to Postmedia lawyer, Brent Mescall's suggestion that Kent's campaign team was 'concerned he had his own agenda and was not a team player.'

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Robidoux testified that Kent was vocal about his opposition to then-premier Ed Stelmach's royalty review, that he initially refused to attend an all-Calgary-candidates event at a hospital and that he criticized the premier for canceling his attendance at a breakfast fundraiser for Kent.

After Stelmach cancelled thatappearance, two ministers were scheduled to appear in his place and were supposed to give speeches. But Kent told his team that he would speak instead about Afghanistan. This caused "great disagreement" between Kent and his team according to Robidoux's testimony.

At one point, Robidouxindicatedto Mescall that Kent's campaign manager, Bruce Thorp threatened to quitif Kent made anymore comments to the media about the PC Party or Stelmach.

Robidoux testified that she emailed Kent, telling him he should be more cautious and stop speaking to the media.

"Yes and how ironic that that's precisely the advice I should have taken," she said.

Martin says he 'would have gone to jail' before naming source

In her previous testimony Robidoux told the court she gave journalist Don Martin information about the tensions in Kent's campaign that became the subject of his column that this trial is centred around.

Both over the phone and in forwarded emails, Robidoux outlined the rift that was growing between Kent, the party and the premier.

A decision she said she regretted.

Yesterday, Robidoux testified she felt pressured to allow Martin to out her as his source. That he and his lawyers suggested if she were to allow herself to be identified, Kent's lawsuit would likely go away.

In an email to a journalist in 2014, Martin insisted Robidoux volunteered to be named as his source and that he 'would have gone to jail before naming her.'

Today, Robidoux testified that statement was untrue and that it was not her idea.