Montreal police have unveiled a new street check policy, requiring officers to clarify reasons for stops, inform individuals of their right to leave, and document interactions for review against racial profiling. While the city praises it as a positive step, anti-racism advocacy groups criticize the policy for its lack of clear consequences for officers who violate it, arguing it doesn't go far enough to address systemic racism, especially given past reports showing disproportionate stops of Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Arab people.
New Montreal police street check policy praised by city, panned by advocacy groups
MontréalMontréal (region)QuébecQuebec Court Of AppealService de police de la Ville de MontréalCrimeRacial and ethnic discriminationAnti-racismRacial profiling
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Montreal police have unveiled a new street check policy, requiring officers to clarify reasons for stops, inform individuals of their right to leave, and document interactions for review against racial profiling. While the city praises it as a positive step, anti-racism advocacy groups criticize the policy for its lack of clear consequences for officers who violate it, arguing it doesn't go far enough to address systemic racism, especially given past reports showing disproportionate stops of Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Arab people.
Trending- 1 2014-2021: Data showed Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Arab people were disproportionately stopped by police.
- 2 2019: A report was published finding disproportionate random police checks.
- 3 2020: The SPVM adopted a street check policy.
- 4 2023: A second report concluded there was no decrease in profiling after the 2020 policy.
- 5 Monday, May 26, 2025: Montreal police unveiled a new street check policy.
- 6 This fall: The new policy is expected to take effect, though officers have already been instructed to follow it.
- 7 Ongoing: The legality of random police stops in Quebec remains before the courts.
- The policy is praised by city officials as a positive step forward
- Advocacy groups criticize the policy for lacking enforcement and sanctions for officers who violate it
- The legality of random police stops in Quebec remains before the courts (Quebec Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada)
- A class-action lawsuit on behalf of motorists alleging illegal stops has been authorized
What: Montreal police unveiled a new street check policy.
When: The new policy was unveiled on Monday, May 26, 2025. It is expected to take effect this fall, but officers have already been instructed to start following it. A report on disproportionate police checks was published in 2019, a street check policy was adopted in 2020, and a second report concluding no decrease in profiling was published in 2023, analyzing data from 2014 to 2021.
Where: The policy applies to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Why: The policy aims to address concerns about racial profiling and build trust with the community, following reports that Indigenous, Black, Asian, and Arab people disproportionately experienced random police checks.
How: The new policy requires officers to clarify the reason for an interaction, inform the person they are free to leave, and document each interaction. These documented reports will then be reviewed by a committee to ensure no racial profiling occurred.