Miriam Ikhlef felt she had what it took to become a police officer.
A graduate of the Police and Security Studies program at the University of Montreal, she worked for 13 months as a 911 dispatcher for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), even earning a commendation for the way she handled a call involving a barricaded, suicidal man.
But in June 2021, his dream came crashing down.
After passing almost all the necessary tests, she was told that she had failed the security check — without any explanation. Five days later, she lost her job as a dispatcher when her security clearance was revoked.
“For me, there is no reason why my application should not be accepted for a position as a police officer. I met all the requirements,” she said in an interview on Thursday.
“What I want right now, and what I need, is a review of the security clearance decision. »
Ms. Ikhlef, who said she has no criminal record or criminal ties, reports that the only reason she can think of for the denial of security clearance is the deportation of her uncle, Mourad Ikhlef, in 2003 due to suspected terrorist links.
Miriam Ikhlef, who is 26, said she never knew her uncle, who was acquitted by an Algerian court.
This week, she wrote to the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, as well as to the director of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, to ask for their help. She believes Mr Dagher, who was sworn in this year, will understand what it is like to be deemed at risk because of an Arab name and heritage.
“I think he is the right person to understand the kind of situation I am going through because he admitted to having been the victim of profiling at the border,” said the young woman. “I think he knows what it’s like to be judged and treated like someone you’re not. »
She said she tried, through a freedom of information request, to find out more about why she failed her security clearance, but the request was denied. for “national security” reasons.
During a security clearance interview, she said the police asked her if she was going to a mosque and why she had decided to attend Collège de Maisonneuve — a question she said was due to the fact that the Montreal-based college institution once rented space to a controversial Islamic educator who is believed to have ties to terrorist groups.
She said she went to Collège de Maisonneuve because it is one of the best in the city and offers a program in police techniques.
His dismissal hurt his ability to work in his chosen field, particularly because it was tied to a security clearance. “Every time I apply for a job, how am I going to explain that I was fired? »
Miriam Ikhlef sued the City and the police department, but even though a Superior Court judge called her situation “surreal” and wrote in her December decision that he sympathized with her, he said the case was to be heard by a labor arbitrator.
An arbitration session is scheduled for October.
Guylaine Dionne, president of the union that represents 911 dispatchers and other white-collar workers in the city, said her goal was to have Miriam Ikhlef reinstated with financial compensation.
“This case raises serious human rights issues that we are monitoring closely, including when employers fire employees without giving clear reasons under the guise of secrecy related to security investigations,” she wrote in an email.
But Ms Ikhlef does not want to wait and fears that the hearing, which has already been delayed once, will be delayed again.
“I want the police department to stop treating me like I’m a terrorist, like I’m some kind of national security threat, because I’m not. What I am is a Montrealer who has served her community, who does her job with integrity, with dedication. »
The Montreal Police Service declined to comment on the case, citing the confidential nature of employee records and upcoming arbitration. A spokeswoman for Mayor Plante did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.