Justice Centre's Carpay admits hiring P.I. to tail judge
The president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is stepping away from the Alberta-based organization after admitting to hiring a private investigator to follow a Manitoba judge.
The Justice Centre's board said that, effective immediately, John Carpay is taking an indefinite period of leave.
“Surveilling public officials is not what we do. We condemn what was done without reservation,” the board said Tuesday.
The Justice Centre is supporting multiple churches across the country in court challenges against COVID -19 public health orders.
Carpay's admission that he hired someone to watch a judge overseeing a case in Manitoba has been widely condemned and prompted formal complaints of misconduct.
Chief Justice Glenn Joyal held a special hearing Monday after learning that a private investigator was contracted to find any embarrassing information about Joyal breaking public health regulations.
Joyal said he realized he was being followed when he left the courthouse.
A person, who appeared to be a teenage boy, also went to his home and spoke with his daughter.
Joyal admonished Carpay for interfering in the administration of justice.
“If we are now in an era where a sitting judge, in the middle of a case, can have his or her privacy compromised as part of an attempt to gather information intended to embarrass him or her, and perhaps even attempt to influence or shape a legal outcome, then we are, indeed, in unchartered waters,” Joyal said Monday.
The Justice Centre's board said it was not aware of Carpay's plan. It said if the board had known “it would have immediately brought it to an end.”
The Law Society of Manitoba said it is looking into what happened, but would not comment on specifics of the case because investigations and complaints are confidential.
An Ottawa human rights lawyer confirmed he has filed a professional misconduct complaint with the society against Carpay, as well as against two other lawyers with the Justice Centre.