Who?

Any person wishing to denounce the conduct of a person subject to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers as likely to constitute a breach of ethics may file a report.

However, a person present at an event where a person subject to the Code has engaged in conduct likely to constitute a breach of ethics, or a person affected by such conduct, may file a complaint. For more information on this procedure, please consult the Complaints section of our website.

How?

Your report must be made in writing. However, in some circumstances, it may be recorded verbally. If you wish, you can also file a report anonymously. See the How to file a report section for more information.

When?

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

In exceptional circumstances, the Commissioner may agree to an extension of this deadline, subject to the presentation of evidence demonstrating the impossibility of acting during this period. The Commissioner will then have to decide whether the circumstances justify the person reporting not filing a report within the one-year period provided for in the bill.

Against whom?

Your report must concern a person subject to the Code of Ethics of Québec Police Officers:

• Quebec police officers performing their duties in Quebec, with the exception of RCMP officers;
• Quebec police officer performing their duties in another Canadian province or territory;
• Police officers from another province or territory who are authorized to perform their duties in Quebec;
• Wildlife protection officer;
• Special constable (National Assembly, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, Quebec City Fire Commission, 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);
• Traffic controller;
• Senior officer, investigator of the Commissaire à la lutte contre la corruption (CLCC);
• Senior officer or investigator of the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).

Note that a person subject to the Code who resigns, is dismissed or retires remains under 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 process your report if it concerns civilian police personnel such as 911 dispatchers, correctional officers, Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers or private security agency agents. 

What?

Your report 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 gestures (actions, omissions, spoken or unspoken words) must be likely to constitute a breach of the Code.

The Code notably stipulates that all persons subject to it must:

• Behave in such a way as to preserve 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 duties with probity.
• Carry out their duties impartially and unselfishly, and avoid placing themselves in a situation where they would be in a conflict of interest likely to compromise their impartiality or adversely affect their judgment and loyalty.
• Respect the rights of any person placed in their custody and avoid showing complacency.
• Use weapons and other equipment with care and discretion.

For what?

Before filing your report, make sure that the ethics procedure meets your needs:

Possible outcomes of an ethics report

• Awareness-raising or training. If you'd like the people involved in your report to receive training to correct some of their problematic behavior, we have the power to provide them with observations on their conduct and make recommendations to their employer to prevent future breaches.
• 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, if 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, determines the applicable sanction.

Impossible conclusions from an ethics report

Discussion. The conciliation process is for the complainant only. You will not be able to discuss events with the person who is the subject of your report.