Jamil Jivani sued for wrongful dismissal claiming he was fired when he didn’t match liberal views white executives expected from a Black man
Jivani sued Bell for wrongful dismissal after he was fired from its iHeartRadio network in January, claiming he was hired as a token visible minority but fired when he didn’t match liberal views white executives expected from a Black man.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.
Bell complains Jivani had Conservative Member of Parliament Cathay Wagantall, who opposed vaccine mandates, on his show questioning the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Jivani failed to challenge “the falseness of her assertions,” the statement says.Article content The company also says it had “serious concerns” over Jivani’s “open disdain” for the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The company’s statement refers to them by the acronym DEI.
In reply, Bell says, Jivani “delivered a belligerent e-mail response, accusing Whyte of levelling ‘baseless smears’ against him and stating that ‘as the only black radio host’ he was offended that the show’s ‘commitment to diversity and inclusion’ was being ‘questioned.’”Article content “In the Statement of Defence, the Defendant admits, for the first time, that the Plaintiff’s employment was terminated for ideological and political reasons,” the reply says.