On April 27, 2022, the Members of Cabinet appointed Me Mélanie Hillinger as Police Ethics Commissioner for a 5-year term. She is the first woman to hold this position in the history of Quebec. Previously, Me Hillinger held various positions in the Québec public administration, including Vice President for Administration and Innovation Support at the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, Assistant Deputy Minister for Labor Relations at the Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, Vice President of Labor Standards at the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail and Assistant Secretary of Ethics and Senior Jobs at the ministère du Conseil exécutif.

Me Hillinger has extensive experience in labor relations, collective agreement negotiations and mediation/conciliation. Her desire to ensure social peace has led her to diversify her intervention strategies with different stakeholders to generate consensus, with particular emphasis on alternative dispute resolution.

Aware that the improvement of the police ethics process requires the enhancement of social dialogue, Ms. Hillinger intends to invite her partners to discuss the issues facing the police ethics process with a view to identifying, with them, sustainable solutions that will preserve the bond of trust between peace officers and the population they serve, while seeking the right balance between the powers necessary to maintain order and the respect of citizens' rights and freedoms.  

Me Hillinger is a law graduate from Université Laval and has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 1999. She completed the university certification program in corporate governance from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés of Université Laval in 2020. She has served on the Board of Directors of Retraite Québec since 2018.