Duke, a pharmacist, operated a successful pharmacy in Saskatchewan for 20 years. Dr. Puts developed a suspicion about Duke’s association with a physician in another town; Puts accused Duke of conspiring with that physician to cheat the health-care system by claiming for false prescriptions and double billing. In a letter of complaint sent to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan, Puts alleged professional misconduct against Duke. He told other people that Duke was a crook. These accusations greatly harmed the pharmacist’s reputation and business and caused him to sell his business at a reduced price. 

Assuming all the allegations were false, what tort actions could Duke bring against Dr. Puts? 

What defences, if any, could the defendant assert?