Anti-racism group says Montreal police withheld findings of racial profiling report
The Montreal police force (SPVM) is facing criticism from a local human rights group accusing the force of withholding the findings of a report on racial profiling by officers.
Three university professors served as independent experts and were tasked with writing a second report about racial profiling by SPVM officers. However, they finished their work months ago and expected their findings to be made public by now.
Anti-racism group The Red Coalition sent a letter to the SPVM, accusing it of sitting on the report since last summer.
"This delay from summertime until now, that in itself, is how systemic racism manifests itself. There's delays in the system. There's certain things that our elected officials, people in power, could have done to prevent certain actions related to racial profiling discrimination. They had the chance in the summer they chose not to," said Joel De Bellefeuille, founder of the Red Coalition.
The group alleges the Montreal police department is dismissing the report's findings about discrimination in its ranks and its procedures dealing with the public.
There is a range of measures that could be deployed to change police culture, said the Red Coalition, including collecting race-based data, training police cadets better, and installing body cameras on police uniforms.
The coalition said all these measures require a scientific basis if they are to go ahead.
According to the Red Coalition, this second report was more in-depth than the first and should include scientific data and analysis about racial bias and profiling by the SPVM.
The SPVM's media relations team responded to the Red Coalition's criticism Monday, saying the force has entrusted the independent researchers "to obtain an external viewpoint that will allow us to adjust the Policy on Police Interruptions based on scientific observations. The objective of this process is to continue improving our methods."
"A preliminary and partial version of the report was submitted to the SPVM at the end of 2022. Work is still in progress to complete the data analysis and research. Exchanges between our organization and the researchers are ongoing and productive," a statement read. "A final and complete version is expected in the coming months. The SPVM is committed to making the final report public."
Meantime, the Quebec government is currently appealing a court decision banning random roadside stops by police after a judge ruled those could be racially motivated and ordered them halted.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.