Random arrests are sometimes necessary, pleads the Prime Minister François Legault, in reaction to a judgment which will prohibit the police from intercepting motorists without reason in order to fight against racial profiling.
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Quebec has not yet announced whether it intends to challenge the decision rendered yesterday by the Superior Court. “We will take the time to analyze it,” said Mr. Legault at a press briefing on Wednesday.
“We said it, when we tabled our plan to fight racism, that we want and that we have already put in place measures against racial profiling. On the other hand, when we talk about random arrests, you have to understand that you have to let the police do their job,” he said.
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He recalls the many shootings that occurred this summer in the metropolis. “I have complete confidence in the police and it is important to support them,” said François Legault.
On Tuesday, Judge Michel Yergeau put an end to the random arrests by declaring: “We cannot as a society wait for part of the population to continue to suffer in silence. […]. Racial profiling does exist. It is a reality that weighs heavily on black communities.
The request had been filed by Joseph-Christopher Luamba, an elderly student of Haitian origin who had been stopped for no reason three times in just over a year.
During the trial, several other people from the black community testified to having been subjected to such treatment.
MP experience
Formerly a member of the Legault government’s Anti-Racism Action Group, Minister Christopher Skeete says that this issue “came up a lot” in the committee’s work.
“I myself have already been the victim of random verification. So it is something that is very irritating in the population. I can’t wait to read the judgment, but honestly I will reserve my judgment,” explained the new Minister Delegate for the Economy, whose father is from Trinidad and Tobago.
“I will take note of the judgment, we will watch what happens, and I think that will guide us a lot in the coming months,” he said.
With the collaboration of Gabriel Côté, QMI Agency