Who?

A police ethics complaint can be filed by :

• By the person in respect of whom the conduct of a peace officer in the performance of their duties is likely to constitute a derogatory act to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers;
• By any person present at an event involving police intervention; 
• By an individual representing the person concerned by the event. 

Anyone else may file a report. For more information on this procedure, please consult the Submit a report section of our website.
 

How?

Your complaint must be made in writing. However, in some circumstances, it may be recorded verbally. See the How to file a complaint section for more information.

When?

Your complaint must be filed no later than one year after the date of the event or your knowledge of the event. 

In exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner may agree to an extension of this time limit, subject to the presentation of evidence demonstrating the impossibility of acting during this period. The Commissioner will then have to decide whether the circumstances justified the complainant not filing their complaint within the one-year time limit provided for in the Bill.

Against Whom?

Your complaint must target a person subject to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers:

• A Quebec police officer exercising their duties in Quebec, with the exception of RCMP officers;
• A Quebec police officer who performs their duties in another province or territory of Canada;
• A police officer from another province or territory who is authorized to perform their duties in Quebec;
• A wildlife protection officer;
• A special constable (National Assembly, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Quebec City Fire Commissioner, Hydro-Québec, Ministère de la sécurité publique, Ministère du Conseil exécutif, Ministère du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, Revenu Québec, Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, Société protectrice des animaux de Montréal, Société protectrice des animaux de l'Estrie, Société protectrice des animaux de Québec, Société de transport de Montréal, Sûreté du Québec, Université de Montréal, Université Laval, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières);
• A highway controller;
• A senior officer or an investigator from the Commissaire à la lutte contre la corruption (CLCC);
• A senior officer or an investigator from the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).

Note that a person subject to the Code who resigns, is dismissed or retires remains subject to the jurisdiction of the Commissioner for acts committed while in office. 
 

Persons not subject to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers

We cannot handle your complaint if it involves civilian police personnel such as 911 dispatchers, correctional officers, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers or private security guards.

What?

Your complaint must concern the conduct of a person subject to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers while in the performance of their duties in relation to the public. These acts (actions, omissions, spoken or unspoken words) must be likely to constitute a breach of the Code.

The Code notably stipulates that any person subject to the Code must:

• behave in such a way as to maintain the trust and consideration required by their position.
• avoid any form of abuse of authority in their dealings with the public.
• respect the authority of the law and the courts and cooperate in the administration of justice.
• perform their duties with probity.
• perform their duties with impartiality and avoid placing themselves in a situation where they would be in a conflict of interest that could compromise their impartiality or adversely affect their judgment and loyalty.
• respect the rights of anyone in their care and avoid showing them complacency.
• use a weapon and any other piece of equipment with caution and discernment.

For What?

Before filing a complaint, make sure that the legal recourse you are seeking is appropriate to your needs :  

Possible outcomes of a police ethics recourse

• Awareness or training. If you would like the people concerned by your complaint to receive training on the right ways to act so that they can correct their behavior, we have the power to provide them with observations on their conduct and to make recommendations to their employer to prevent future breaches. In addition, you have the opportunity to make the people concerned by your complaint more aware yourself when you take part in a conciliation meeting.
• Discussion. If you want to discuss the event with the people concerned by your complaint, tell them the impact their actions had on you and try to understand why they acted the way they did, the conciliation meeting allows you to get this result.
• Apologies. We do not have the power to demand that the persons concerned by your complaint give you an apology. However, in a conciliation meeting, you could discuss the event with them, tell them the impact their actions had on you, and try to understand why they acted the way they did.
• Hearing before the Tribunal. Following the investigation, the Commissioner may cite one or more persons involved in the investigation to appear before the Administrative Tribunal for Police Ethics when they deem the evidence warrants it. This citation gives rise to a trial at which the person cited presents their version of the facts. At the end of the hearings before the Tribunal, the judge issues a written decision confirming whether the person cited has committed a derogatory act and, if so, determining the applicable sanction. on citations in police ethics to read examples of complaints that were the subject of a citation before the Tribunal and which led to a sanction. 

Impossible conclusions to a police ethics recourse

• Monetary compensation. We do not have the authority to compensate you for damages you have suffered in connection with the event that is the subject of your complaint.
• Dismissal of a ticket or a criminal charge. We do not have the power to cancel a ticket or a criminal charge brought against you.