Alberta lawyers who had Manitoba judge tailed lose bid to avoid law society discipline in their province

Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 4:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Two Alberta lawyers who hired a backstage researcher to travel the Manitoba justice who presided implicit their lawsuit challenging COVID-19 restrictions successful 2021 person mislaid their bid to debar imaginable instrumentality nine subject successful their province.

Jay Cameron and John Carpay argued they shouldn't person to look imaginable censure by the Law Society of Alberta due to the fact that they had already been punished for their actions by Manitoba's ineligible regulator, which successful 2023 barred them from practising successful that state and ordered them to wage $5,000.

The lawyers argued Alberta's instrumentality nine "exhausted its jurisdiction" erstwhile it allowed Manitoba's regulator to behaviour the archetypal probe and proceedings, and that proceeding with its ain present "amounts to "double discipline" and is an maltreatment of process,'" a Law Society of Alberta hearing committee determination released past period says. 

However, the determination concluded, going on with that mentation "would effect successful the untenable situation" that the Law Society of Alberta "is incapable to region from its rolls a lawyer who is unsuitable for practice," and noted the Manitoba proceedings determined that province's instrumentality nine didn't person the jurisdiction to suspend oregon disbar Alberta lawyers.

Cameron and Carpay were charged with attempting to obstruct justness and intimidation of a justness strategy subordinate aft hiring a backstage researcher to travel Manitoba Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal, who was presiding implicit a lawsuit against pandemic rules brought guardant by 7 agrarian Manitoba churches represented by the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which the accused some worked for.

Both lawyers were successful October 2023 barred from practising instrumentality successful Canada for 3 years arsenic portion of a plea woody with Manitoba prosecutors that saw their charges stayed in a lawsuit that progressive behaviour a justice called "nothing abbreviated of an affront connected the medication of justice."

Wanted to beryllium nationalist wellness rules arbitrary

Court heard successful 2023 Carpay hired a backstage probe steadfast to process respective Manitoba officials successful summation to Joyal, including Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial nationalist wellness officer, and then-premier Brian Pallister.

Cameron, whose nonrecreational corp had been retained by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, had projected utilizing immoderate impervious of nationalist officials breaching nationalist wellness rules successful an affidavit to perchance enactment an statement that the orders were arbitrary, tribunal heard.

Joyal revealed successful tribunal that helium was being followed portion the COVID-19 situation lawsuit was being heard successful July 2021. He said helium noticed helium was being tailed by idiosyncratic successful a achromatic conveyance and tried to face them arsenic they avoided oculus contact, tribunal heard.

After a interruption successful that hearing, Carpay said his enactment had retained the investigator. Both helium and Cameron apologized for the mistake successful judgment.

At immoderate constituent aft that, tribunal heard, Carpay deleted the full contents of his email account, including each correspondence with the backstage investigator. Cameron besides aboriginal directed the researcher to halt each surveillance "and delete everything."

Cameron and Carpay's lawyers antecedently said their clients didn't mean to obstruct justness oregon intimidate, and that they were taking steps they "believed to beryllium due astatine the time."

Joyal yet recovered the province's nationalist wellness orders were tenable limitations connected the group's Charter rights successful the discourse of the pandemic, and that Manitoba's main nationalist wellness serviceman did person the authorization to execute them.

Cameron and Carpay's instrumentality nine proceeding successful Alberta is scheduled for May 28, the instrumentality nine determination says.