(Montreal, Canada) – Montreal’s police union says it will challenge the administrative dismissal of seven officers, disputing the procedure the force used after investigations involving allegations of racist, discriminatory and other misconduct.

The Montreal Police Brotherhood announced its opposition in a November 3 statement to members, a day after police chief Fady Dagher announced the dismissals. The new development moves the case beyond the firings to a dispute over the employer’s authority and the process used to remove the officers.

Union president Yves Francoeur argued that the method was unprecedented in the organization’s labour relations and raised fundamental legal questions. According to CityNews and Journal Métro, the union maintains that the employer cannot unilaterally rewrite the framework governing its relationship with employees.

The police service’s November 2 announcement confirms that seven members from neighbourhood stations 21 and 39 were administratively dismissed in connection with misconduct allegations. CityNews reported that five worked at Station 39 in Montréal-Nord and two at Station 21 downtown.

Dagher said the force consulted city lawyers before revoking the officers’ accreditation and security clearance through an administrative process. Journal Métro reported that withdrawing their security accreditation led automatically to dismissal. The union disputes the legitimacy of that approach; its objections are not a ruling that the dismissals were unlawful.

The employment dispute is separate from the criminal-investigation process. Quebec’s prosecution service, the DPCP, confirmed to CityNews that police had submitted an investigation file concerning alleged discriminatory and racist acts involving Station 39 officers for review and possible authorization of charges. That referral does not establish criminal guilt.

Francoeur also said that, if established, the allegations would profoundly violate the values of both the union and Montreal police officers.

Dagher has indicated he intends to defend the dismissals, Journal Métro reported. Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada welcomed the decision and reiterated her confidence in the chief. The announced union challenge leaves the employment outcome contested while the allegations continue through separate investigative channels.

Accompanying image: editorial illustration.

Sources