5 things to know about police fines for insults in Quebec - BERITAJA

Montreal’s constabulary brotherhood wants the powerfulness to good group who hurl insults and foul connection astatine officers and is pressuring the metropolis to adopt a bylaw akin to rules successful municipalities like Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Sherbrooke, wherever officers could good citizens for insulting constabulary and different nationalist officials.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says she is unfastened to implementing a bylaw, but adds it would person to beryllium drafted cautiously to guarantee it won’t beryllium contested successful court.

BERITAJA obtained soul information from immoderate of Quebec’s largest metropolitan regions connected really galore fines are issued done bylaws prohibiting insults toward constabulary officers and different municipal employees.

— Between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026, Quebec City constabulary handed retired 11,092 fines for insulting an serviceman aliases different municipal employee. That’s an mean of 5 fines per day. Only 32 days went by successful that six-year play wherever a good was not issued.

— The fines are typically $150, and the constabulary unit reported collecting a full of $1,664,660.00 successful those six years from group fined nether the bylaw.

— Police successful Laval, Que., issued 4,502 of fines for group who violated a akin bylaw betwixt Jan. 1, 2021, and April 1, 2026. The fines are a minimum of $286.

— In Sherbrooke, Que., fines could scope betwixt $160 and $4,000. Sherbrooke constabulary issued 855 fines for insulting constabulary officers successful 2025, which they opportunity are seldom contested.

— The 5 municipalities successful the Longueuil, Que., area, each served by Longueuil police, person akin regulations prohibiting insults toward municipal officials, including police. Longueuil constabulary opportunity they handed retired 53 fines successful 2025 and 49 to day successful 2026.