A “caravan” of demonstrators against racial profiling in Quebec police services is heading towards the National Assembly this afternoon. The demonstrators, who began their journey around 1 p.m. at the CAQ’s constituency office in Montmorency (Beauport), are demanding changes to the Quebec Highway Safety Code and commitments from political parties.
“Our demands are clear, we demand the revocation of section 636 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code,” says the co-organizer of the event, Mbaï-Hadji Mbaïrewaye. He is responsible for the “racial profiling” project within the Collectif 1629, an organization that fights against racism in Quebec.
The section of the Highway Safety Code that the organizers of the event are questioning stipulates, among other things, that a peace officer may require the driver of a road vehicle to immobilize it, and that a police officer peace can take possession of a road vehicle “without the owner’s permission” if he has “reasonable cause” to believe that an offense has been committed.
This article “allows the police to intercept vehicles at random [et] is used as a pretext to investigate people of African descent as potential criminals because of their racial or ethnicity,” said a statement from the organizers of the caravan.
“So we want to send a message to the police in Beauport, but also to the CAQ. They do nothing, and we are proposing a concrete solution,” adds Mr. Mbaïrewaye.
“Increase” in profiling in Quebec?
Mbaïrewaye adds that the CAQ’s constituency office in Beauport was chosen to start the event because this borough of Quebec is experiencing a “sharp increase” in cases of racial profiling reported to it by black people.
“There is a trivialization of the problem in Beauport, both on the side of motorists and pedestrians. People are arrested for silly reasons, it even seems that the police are laughing at it,” he says.
The City of Quebec has also partnered with a research chair from Laval University to produce a report on racial profiling within the Quebec police force which is expected for 2023. Target of criticism from the opposition to City Hall last spring, Quebec City Police Chief Denis Turcotte also said investigations would be conducted “automatically” if cases of racial profiling came to his attention.
Any improvements in sight?
The “caravan” brings together many organizations, including “community associations of Quebec, Montreal and Repentigny”, indicates its press release. According to Mr. Mbaïrewaye, racial profiling is widespread throughout Quebec. He particularly deplores the situation in Repentigny.
“I understand that Repentigny is trying to improve the situation, but their measures are cosmetic. The results are important to us, not the intentions”, maintains Mr. Mbaïrewaye. The Repentigny police have called on an independent firm to transform their organization in the wake of criticism of racial profiling in recent years.
For the time being, Mr. Mbaïrewaye is heading to the National Assembly, convinced that “more actions must be taken, in particular commitments from the leaders of political parties”. He also underlines the difficulty of “mobilizing people against racism in Quebec”, but is delighted with the presence of the dozens of people who are at his side today.