Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers
Quebec City, Laval and Longueuil have issued 16,000 fines in six years as Montreal weighs a similar rule, according to The Canadian Press.
- Internal data obtained by The Canadian Press reveals Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines over six years to citizens for allegedly insulting police officers and other municipal officials.
- Montreal's police brotherhood is pressuring the city to adopt similar bylaws following viral videos of citizens insulting officers, arguing members need protection from abuse during routine interactions.
- Quebec City issued 11,092 fines between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026, collecting nearly $1.7 million, while Laval police issued 4,502 fines between Jan. 1, 2021, and April 1, 2026.
- Retired RCMP officer Alain Babineau warns the rules could facilitate abuse, stating "The bad ones, they" will use such powers to target vulnerable citizens.
- Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada remains open to implementing a bylaw but emphasizes any regulation must be drafted carefully to avoid potential conflict with Charter rights.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers
Quebec City police have largely driven the numbers, issuing 11,092 fines in six years. Now Montreal is mulling a bylaw of its own regulating interactions between police and citizens, but advocates say it could exacerbate tensions and police misconduct.
Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers, according to internal data
Police in some of Quebec’s largest metropolitan regions have handed out thousands of fines over the past six years to citizens for allegedly hurling insults at officers or other municipal officials, according to internal data obtained by The Canadian Press.
Bowen Island Undercurrent
5 things to know about police fines for insults in Quebec
MONTREAL — Montreal’s police brotherhood wants the power to fine people who hurl insults and foul language at officers and is pressuring the city to adopt a bylaw similar to rules in municipalities like Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Sherbrooke, w
Thousands fined for insulting cops
Thousands of people have been issued fines for insulting police in other Quebec municipalities – Quebec City in particular. The SPVM brotherhood is pressing for a similar law here, and SMF is in favour. Note the wording: “insulting an officer or other municipal employee.” This is ridiculous and will waste time in court as people argue over what is, and what is not, an insult.
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