Attorney General of Canada calls for lawsuit by Manitoba man wrongly accused of child sex crimes to be tossed

Department of Justice wants lawsuit from a Manitoba man to be thrown out. Jon Hendricks explains.

The Attorney General of Canada is asking for a judge to toss out a lawsuit from a Manitoba man who alleges Ottawa is partly responsible for a botched RCMP investigation he said ruined his life.

The statement, filed Nov. 28 in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, asks for Scott Taylor’s lawsuit filed against the Attorney General and RCMP in August to be thrown out.

Taylor was arrested in June 2024 by RCMP and mistakenly charged in connection with a child sex exploitation ring in Portage la Prairie. One month later, the charges were stayed.

“The Manitoba RCMP Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit has determined that Scott Joseph Taylor, 34, named in the initial release, was not involved in this occurrence,” a statement from the RCMP at the time said in part. “As a result, all charges against Scott Joseph Taylor have been formally stayed in court.”

Despite the charges being stayed, Taylor said he was the victim of vigilante responses, verbal and physical assaults and had his home vandalized.

In his lawsuit, Taylor alleges RCMP mistook him for another man with the same name. He claims in his lawsuit that “easily attainable and verifiable” information, such as his lack of facial hair and a different company work truck in his driveway, would have proved that RCMP arrested the wrong man.

However, in its statement of defence, the Attorney General of Canada claims there were “reasonable and probable grounds” to believe he was involved in the offence.

The statement of defence alleges Taylor’s name and race matched what was shared by the victim, and that Taylor was previously known to RCMP and allegedly had connections to individuals involved in the exploitation ring.

Mounties also allege Taylor did not report any “vigilante responses” to RCMP, except for one online threat in September 2024.

The statement of defence also said the RCMP acted “lawfully, reasonably and in good faith,” adding the RCMP media release did not amount to defamation.

The RCMP has not yet filed a statement of defence. CTV News reached out to Taylor’s lawyer for comment, but has not yet heard back.

None of the claims in either lawsuit have been tested in court.