All Quebec Police Officers Will Now Have To Undergo Training To 'Counter' Racial Profiling

After five Quebec police officers were suspended after a video of a violent arrest was widely shared on social networks, the Quebec government announced on December 5 that "training to counter racism and racial and social profiling" would be implemented for all police officers in the province.

"The issue of racial and social profiling is a constant concern for the Ministry of Public Security and our police forces. Policing is a demanding profession and must be carried out to the highest standards of public service. The training of all our police officers will contribute to improving practices," said Geneviève Guilbault, Minister of Public Security.

This training will allow police officers to understand "the issues" they face "in a diverse society" and will allow them to better "situate the legal framework of police interventions with respect to human rights," the government's press release stated.

"The Quebec government is improving the tools available to ensure that police intervention is always respectful of pluralism and free of all forms of discrimination. In this way, we continue to move Quebec forward on the path to a society free of racism," added Benoît Charette, Minister responsible for the fight against racism.

This training will be spread out over four years, and once all police officers have completed it, it will be integrated into the continuing education curriculum of the École nationale de police du Québec.

In total, the government will invest $930,000 in the development of this training, which was one of the recommendations of the Action Group Against Racism presented in the report "Racism in Quebec: Zero Tolerance" on December 14, 2020.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.