Quebec’s Minister of Interior Security, Guy Lapointe Jr., provided an update on Friday regarding the scandals that have been plaguing the Montreal police for several months. He was in Montreal to meet with Sûreté du Québec Director General Johanne Beausoleil and outline his ministry’s priorities, but allegations of misconduct by certain officers of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) dominated most of the press briefing. It was reported on Friday that anonymous police officers filed complaints with the Police Ethics Commissioner against SPVM Director Fady Dagher, according to reports by TVA Nouvelles. The officers in question claim in their complaint that Dagher lacked impartiality in handling the case involving Police Station 39, which led to the dismissal of seven officers accused of committing racist acts while on duty. Lapointe was sparing with his words on the situation, stating that he would prefer to wait for the results of the investigations before commenting. “If the allegations are proven true, it is extremely troubling; it is unacceptable. This is not the kind of behaviour that can be tolerated under any circumstances by police officers, who must have the public’s trust,” said Lapointe, himself a former police officer.Does he still have confidence in Fady Dagher to lead the Montreal Police Service? On that point, too, the minister remained vague. “What matters isn’t my own confidence. What matters is the public’s confidence. The mayor (of Montreal, Soraya Martinez Ferrada) has confidence in him,” was all he would say. Maintaining that trust will be one of his cabinet’s priorities, Lapointe added. “The premier has given me a very clear mandate: to work on the public’s sense of security,” he said. The former police officer also plans to tackle crime in rural areas as well as the recruitment of young people by criminal organizations. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 6, 2026
