Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers

Thousands of fines have been issued by police in some of Quebec's largest metropolitan regions over the past six years for allegedly insulting officers or other municipal officials. Internal data obtained by The Canadian Press reveals a significant number of these fines were issued by Quebec City police.

Between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026, Quebec City police issued 11,092 fines to individuals accused of violating a municipal bylaw that prohibits disrespectful language directed at officers and public officials. The police force released these numbers following a formal access to information request.

Similarly, police in Laval, north of Montreal, reported issuing 4,502 fines between January 2021 and April 2026 for violating a bylaw against abusive behavior toward municipal employees. In Sherbrooke, police issued 855 fines in 2025 under a bylaw prohibiting insulting and obstructing officers. The Longueuil area also has a similar regulation, with Longueuil police issuing 53 fines in 2025 and 49 so far in 2026 for this offense.

The release of this data coincides with a series of high-profile cases involving alleged police misconduct in Quebec. These include recent allegations of racism and reprehensible behavior by officers in Montreal, which led to the dismantling of a patrol unit. While the Montreal police union argues such bylaws are necessary for officers to deal with public abuse, civil rights activists express concern that granting police new powers is inappropriate, especially given the ongoing misconduct allegations. Retired RCMP officer Alain Babineau, now an advocate with the Red Coalition, called the push to ban insults against Montreal police "frivolous" and "moot" in light of these serious allegations.

“

The good cops may never use that bylaw, never. The bad ones, they’ll use it all the time. It’ll pile on.