The Law Society of Alberta has disbarred John Carpay, founder and president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), in what he calls a “vindictive abuse of process.”On Tuesday, a hearing committee issued its decision, effective immediately, finding that Carpay’s conduct represented a serious breach of professional ethics.He was ordered by the Law Society to pay $7,457.50 in costs and was also sanctioned for failing to discharge all of his responsibilities to his client, tribunals, the public, and other members of the profession honourably and with integrity.Carpay, who was already under suspension at the time of the decision, had been accused in 2021 of hiring a private investigator to surveil Manitoba Chief Justice Glenn Joyal during a COVID-19 restrictions trial.The surveillance occurred while Joyal presided over a constitutional challenge to public health restrictions brought forward by the JCCF..CARPAY: Neither freedom nor democracy is destined to live forever.In a statement, Carpay said the surveillance was performed “for no other reason than to illuminate a legitimate public policy question: Were politicians and judges complying with the stringent COVID restrictions that they themselves had imposed on the public?”The Law Society’s disciplinary panel stated that Carpay’s actions were a severe breach of professional ethics, eroding public trust in the judiciary.Carpay acknowledged that including a judge in the surveillance was a mistake and publicly apologized for his error in judgment.The Manitoba Law Society proceedings against him concluded in Aug. 2023, when Carpay was ordered to pay $5,000 and to respect a lifetime ban on practicing law in the province.In Dec. 2023, Carpay submitted his letter of resignation to the Alberta Law Society — which it refused to accept — and commenced new disciplinary proceedings against him, regarding the same conduct for which Carpay had already been disciplined and punished by the Manitoba Law Society.A hearing before the Alberta Law Society finally took place on May 28 — nearly four years after the incident had occurred.Carpay, a Netherlands-born lawyer who immigrated to Canada as a child, has built a career as a high-profile advocate for civil liberties.He earned a political science degree from Université Laval and a law degree from the University of Calgary before being called to the bar in 1999.The JCCF has said this recent decision does not impact it or Carpay’s vital work, and that they will “continue to defend the constitutional rights and freedoms of all Canadians.”
