People who camped in front of a Service Canada office in Laval to renew their passports were expelled from the premises on Friday by the police. A statement of offense was issued.
Posted at 4:20 p.m.
At around 8:45 a.m., the federal passport office located in the Méga Center Notre-Dame shopping center on the Chomedey highway requested the assistance of the Laval Police Department (SPL) to evacuate the premises.
The queue circled the building. However, the office only accepted people who came to collect a ready passport, those who were leaving on a trip within the next 24 hours and those who had an appointment.
“People were aggressive, disrespectful and cutting the line,” said SPL officer Erika Landry.
A warrant was issued for loitering. Around noon, calm had returned to the scene.
photo Carole Fafard
Around noon, calm had returned to the scene.
Some people had spent two nights out and braved the thunderstorm on Thursday evening in the hope of renewing their passports. They had to leave empty-handed. “It’s inconceivable,” laments Carole Fafard, who arrived at the scene at the time of the police intervention. She estimates that she saw “about eight police cars. »
“There’s no way to talk to anyone, no way to ask questions. The police were arresting desperate people. It’s absolutely outrageous,” she says.