Montreal police admit they're aware Black staff fear reprisals for denouncing racism

Montreal’s police department says it knows some Black employees fear reprisals for denouncing racism and misconduct within their ranks.

The department made the comments in response to revelations by The Canadian Press on Thursday about a scathing letter sent on June 14 by a committee of Black employees to deputy police director, Marc Charbonneau.

“With regard to the situation you noted in your article, we are aware that some employees have concerns of this nature,” the department told The Canadian Press in an unsigned statement sent by its media relations office.

The statement did not provide details about any recent actions taken to address the concerns raised by the Black employees.

A committee representing the Black employees sent their letter two days after Police Chief Fady Dagher held a late evening news conference to announce the department had dismantled a patrol unit in the multicultural neighbourhood of Montréal-Nord and suspended two officers over allegations of racism and misconduct.

The committee noted in the letter that employees had learned about efforts to identify whistleblowers in some units. Those actions were leading some employees to fear reprisals for speaking out about unacceptable behaviour, the letter said.

The police department’s media relations office said in its statement on Friday that the service requires staff to report any problematic situation and takes steps to protect the confidentiality of complainants.

“We do not tolerate any attempt to identify or pressure someone who has reported wrongdoing, nor (do we tolerate) any actions or statements that would contribute to discrediting the importance of reporting,” said the police department, in its statement. “We take immediate action when informed of such situations.”

According to Montreal police’s 2024 annual report, Indigenous people and ethnic and visible minorities make up 16 per cent of the department’s policing staff and about 25 per cent of its civilian staff.

Civil rights advocacy group Red Coalition released the letter sent by the Black employees. It is signed only by a committee representing the racialized employees, and does not include any individual names of complainants.

Their concerns are piling on to mounting pressure on government officials to call a public inquiry and shine a light on what has happened with Montreal police.

Black public servants working for the city of Montreal have also drafted their own letter calling for major reforms to crack down on systemic racism.

The municipal employees called for concrete actions to solve the problem in the letter, also released by the Red Coalition.

“The real issue is no longer knowing. It is listening and acting,” they wrote in the letter.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada’s office has confirmed it received both letters.

“If we want to change the culture within the police force, we must also protect those who speak out,” said a spokesperson for the mayor.

Earlier on Friday, the mayor gave a radio interview with Radio-Canada’s Tout un Matin, noting how her husband, who is Black, has been stopped by police five or six times in the past year “for nothing.”

Martinez Ferrada called for a public inquiry into systemic racism in Montreal, explaining “we owe it to ourselves to name the issue, to not be afraid of speaking about systemic racism and racial profiling.” She said she would also support a moratorium on arbitrary street checks.

City employees say in the new letter that they have been trying to denounce racism for years, and want solutions, as opposed to promises to study the issue further.

They say racism is not limited to the city’s police force with blue collar workers having taken several steps to flag their concerns, including meeting with human resources and officials as well as drafting memos and recommendations.

“After years of reports, consultations, training, recommendations and action plans, one fundamental question remains: are the mechanisms currently in place actually producing the expected results?” the municipal employees wrote.

The mayor’s spokesperson also confirmed that the city was cancelling a scheduled public meeting on Monday to review the police department’s annual report. Instead, the spokesperson said that elected municipal officials would meet with the police chief behind closed doors on Monday to have “in-depth discussions” about the alleged misconduct of officers in the Montreal-Nord neighbourhood.

Speaking at a news conference in Joliette, Que., on Friday morning, Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she is open to launching a public inquiry but only after the internal investigation is completed.

“The actions that were taken are completely unacceptable,” she said. “I find it hard to believe that such practices took place in 2026 within the police force.”

She added that Quebec is committed to appointing an “independent observer” to monitor the investigation already underway, and that the identity of this person will be revealed “very soon.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2026.