Police officers ‘must have the public’s trust,’ says Quebec security minister

MONTREAL — Quebec’s newly minted internal security minister touted the importance of public trust as he waded into a scandal that has rocked Montreal police.

Guy Jr. Lapointe made the comments after reporters asked him whether he trusted Montreal’s police chief, Fady Dagher.

Lapointe says the public’s trust is what matters.

The minister was in Montreal to meet with the director of the provincial police, Johanne Beausoleil.

Dagher announced Monday that seven Montreal officers have been fired following allegations of discriminatory and racist misconduct that have dogged the service in recent months.

Civil society groups have criticized Dagher and the police force for not moving fast enough to dismantle a patrol unit in a multicultural Montreal neighbourhood after starting an internal investigation into criminal allegations last March.

Dagher held a late Friday evening news conference in mid-June to announce that he was dismantling the 16-member patrol unit in the Montréal-Nord neighbourhood of the city.

One officer at the station is also facing allegations of obstruction of justice after an incident in which evidence from a domestic violence complainant was allegedly destroyed. Other officers from a downtown Montreal station have been under investigation over misconduct allegations related to interactions with unhoused people.

Dagher has said public prosecutors are reviewing evidence to determine whether to press charges against officers on the force.

Lapointe said the allegations against Montreal police officers are extremely troubling and unacceptable.

“This is not the kind of behaviour that can be tolerated under any circumstances by police officers, who must have the public’s trust,” said Lapointe. “The premier has given me a very clear mandate: to work on the public’s sense of security.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.

— With files from Samira Ait Kaci Ali

The Canadian Press