Quebec police ethics committee rules Terrebonne officer racially profiled Black man

The Quebec Police Ethics Committee ruled that a Terrebonne police officer broke three code of conduct rules and racially profiled a Black man during a traffic stop.

It is the first time the committee has confirmed a racially profiling case against the Terrebonne police.

"We hope that this decision will mark the beginning of the end of racial profiling in Terrebonne, and that the town will invest more resources in training and changing practices to end racism than in legal fees," said Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) executive director Fo Niemi, who aided Woodley in his case.

Administrative judge Lysane Cree wrote in her ruling that constable Jean-Philippe Girard intervened against Jonathan Woodley "on the basis of the latter's race or colour," unlawfully detained him and failed to identify himself with an official document when Woodley requested it on July 20, 2019 when the Mascouche man was pulled over while driving his wife's Acura in the evening.

"There is no reason in the evidence to justify why constable Girard, who was driving at the time, immediately wanted to investigate the number plate of a vehicle stopped at a light and heading in the opposite direction," wrote Cree. "The only information he had at the time was that it was a Black man driving a luxury vehicle. This was enough for him to veer off course and change direction quickly to investigate the number plate."

Girard was with officer Gabrielle Charbonneau-Laplante when they pulled Woodley over, checked the interior of his vehicle and refused to identify himself as he threw Woodley's driver's licence through the window back to him, according to a CRARR release.

Woodley recorded most of the exchange with his dashcam and cellphone.

In stopping Woodley and detaining him, Cree wrote that it was a breach of ethics due to the "oblique motive" or "a motive that he constructs after having decided that he will proceed with the interception rather than before, this demonstrates a lack of respect and contempt for the authority of the law. This type of action amounts to more than a technical error; it amounts to serious misconduct."

CRARR notes that Woodley has been tailed and stopped by police in Mascouche, Terrebonne, and Laval often for what police call routine traffic checks often with the excuse that his vehicle is registered under a woman's name - his wife.

The committee will rule on possible sanctions in the fall, Niemi said.

The Human Rights Commission ruled in 2022 that Woodley was racially profiled and asked the City of Terrebonne to pay the man $13,000. The City is facing another $205,000 lawsuit for alleged systemic discrimination against its Black population.

The city is appealing the decision.

The commission demands Terrebonne police adopt a police against racial profiling, train its officers and managers and work to systemically collect and publish data about the race of those who are intercepted.