For Media Inquiries & Assistance Please Call: 1-800.735.4086

Anti-racism group claims Quebec told Longueuil police to ignore court order on racial profiling

Ministry of Public Security, Longueuil police deny claims made by Red Coallition
CBC News · Posted: Jan 10, 2023 5:55 AM ET | Last Updated: 1 hour ago


An anti-racism group on Montreal's South Shore says the Quebec government told the head of police in Longueuil, Que., to ignore a court order to crack down on racial profiling. 
In a 2020 ruling, Human Rights Tribunal Judge Christian Brunelle said the city must adopt a policy on profiling that includes training officers while collecting and evaluating race-based data on people who are stopped by police. 
That race-based data will be the "perceived or presumed race of persons subject to police stops" and be published starting in 2021, the court ruled.
But that never happened, and the Red Coalition now says that it has uncovered evidence proving the province's Ministry of Public Security is to blame.
The organization says it obtained letters dating back to mid-2021. The letters were exchanged between the former head of the Longueuil police service, Fady Dagher, and the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ), a civil and youth rights organization. 
The Red Coalition has since shared those letters.
Letter exchanges shared with public
In the letter dated Sept. 29, 2021, Dagher writes to the commission inquiring about the Longueuil police service's obligations under the 2020 tribunal ruling.
In the letter, he says the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) informed him that it was working on a province-wide process for police forces to collect race-based data. 
He says the ministry asked the Longueuil police "to wait for the implementation of this solution, which, according to our information and according to what was mentioned by the MSP during the meeting of Sept. 23, should be ready by the end of 2021."
In a follow-up letter dated Dec. 30, Dagher adds: "Based on the latest exchanges we have had with the MSP, we believe that the solution allowing all police forces in the province to collect data concerning the perceived or presumed racial affiliation of people who are the subject of a police arrest could be deployed during the first quarter of 2022."
The Red Coalition says that passage is proof that the province told the Longueuil police service (SPAL) to not follow the court order.
"The Red Coalition applauds the efforts to implement a plan and strategy to combat the very real phenomenon of racial profiling," says Joel DeBellefeuille, head of the Red Coalition, in a news release.
However, he says, it is "inconceivable" that the MSP "instructed Dagher to purposely defy a court order and break the law."
DeBellefeuille's complaint against the police service is what led to the court ruling in the first place. It stemmed from an incident in 2012 where DeBellefeuille, who is Black, was stopped while dropping his son off at daycare.
He says Longueuil police still haven't complied with the resulting court order and his organization is planning to head back to court to make that happen.
Police, ministry deny claims
Longueuil police Insp. Simon Crépeau said in an email that the MSP has not in any way instructed the SPAL or the City of Longueuil to defy the court order or disobey the law. 
MSP spokesperson Louise Quintin said the ministry would never instruct a police force to defy the decision of a court, whatever it may be.
"The MSP is working on several fronts to fight against racism and racial and social profiling," Quintin said in an email.
When it comes to collecting data on police stops and police training, Quintin said, the MSP has been working for more than a year to implement a framework and a mechanism for collecting data on police questioning.
"To do this, the MSP offered financial support to the police forces that needed it so that they could adjust their computer system to document the police stops made," she said.
"This data collection should gradually be extended over the next few months to all police forces in Quebec."
Dalia Alachi, spokesperson for the CDPDJ, said in an email to CBC News that the commission is "very involved" in developing a training program to counter racism and racial and social profiling for police organizations.
This is in collaboration with the MSP, Quebec's police school and the police ethics commissioner, Alachi says. However, implementing a race-based data collection system is up to the ministry and the Longueuil police service, not the commission, she says.

Recent

Archive

 2023
 January
Family of Montreal man killed while unlawfully jailed wants systemic racism inquiryLa famille de l’homme demande une enquête sur le racisme systémiqueSystemic racism inquiry called for by family of man who died after being pepper-sprayed at Bordeaux prisonDétenu mort à la prison de Bordeaux: une coalition exige plus de transparence sur le milieu carcéralUN GROUPE ANTIRACISTE RÉCLAME UNE ENQUÊTE PUBLIQUE SUR LA MORT DU DÉTENU DE BORDEAUXRights group seeks public inquiry into death of man in Montreal jailLobby group seeks public inquiry in Montreal man's jail deathAnti-racism group calls for release of video in connection with Montreal jail deathCivil rights group calls for inquiry into death of illegally jailed 21-year-old black manUne coalition réclame la publication de la vidéo de l’interventionLobby group seeks public inquiry, release of video in Montreal man’s jail deathAnti-racism group claims Quebec told Longueuil police to ignore court order on racial profilingAllison Hanes: Montreal prison death demands urgent answersRed Coalition: Quebec ministry told Longueuil police force to defy court order on racial profilingQuebec told Longueuil police to disregard court order on racial profiling, says anti-racism groupCivil rights group accuses Quebec of covering up race-based police dataQue s’est-il passé à Bordeaux ?Public inquiry ordered into jail death of illegally detained Montreal manPublic inquest to be held into death of man in Montreal jailChief coroner orders public inquiry into death of 21-year-old illegally detained at Bordeaux jailCoroner orders public inquiry into Montreal man's jail deathIl y aura une enquête publique du coroner sur la mort de Nicous SpringRed Coalition calling for investigation into systemic racism in Quebec jailsChief Coroner orders public inquiry into death of Nicous SpringPolice union head tells Montreal's new chief: staffing shortages 1st, community policing 2ndPROFILAGE RACIAL: UNE PLAINTE OFFICIELLE DÉPOSÉE CONTRE LA VILLE DE LONGUEUILCoalition alleges contempt of court against LongueuilPROFILAGE RACIAL: «LA CAQ DOIT TENIR SES PROMESSES», ESTIME LA COALITION ROUGEGroups to kick off Black History Month with measures to fight racism
 February
Anti-racism group accuses Montreal-area school of systemic racismCalls grow to change streets named after Christopher Columbus on island of MontrealQuebec sisters afraid to go school, say racism complaints ignoredGroup says private school near Montreal ignored racism complaintsCas de racisme et de cyberintimidation au Collège Bourget de RigaudUn citoyen souhaite «annuler» Christophe Colomb à Pointe-ClaireRACISME ET CYBERINTIMIDATION: LE COLLÈGE BOURGET MIS EN DEMEUREBlack anti-racism groups lob volleys at Canada and QuebecProminent Quebeckers voice support for Trudeau’s anti-Islamophobia representativeProminent Québecers plead for federal anti-Islamophobia rep to be given a chancePetition against Bill 21 tabled at National AssemblyMontreal police brotherhood says it's too easy to blame its members for racial profilingLongueuil, other Quebec police slow in implementing race-based data frameworkAucune accusation ne sera portée contre les policiers qui ont tué Junior OlivierCalls for police accountability as officers who fatally shot Jean René Olivier face no chargesLack of care on Loyola property "unacceptable":DeBellefeuilleGroups call to cancel puppet show featuring minstrel characterUn spectacle pour enfants sème la controverse dans l’ouest de MontréalUn exemple de « racisme systémique », dénoncent des associationsLocal Montreal play carries on despite upset over controversial puppetFamily of man killed by Repentigny police says lawsuit incomingLa mère de Jean-René Junior Olivier poursuit la Ville de RepentignyLa mère de Jean-René Junior Olivier, abattu par des policiers de Repentigny en août 2021, a déposé une poursuite contre la Ville de RepentignyFamily of Black man killed by Repentigny police files to sue city for $430K in damages

Categories

no categories

Tags

no tags