Exit the agents of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM): it is now the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) which will ensure security at the Montreal-Trudeau airport.
ADM Aéroports de Montréal announced Tuesday that it had awarded this contract to the SQ “for the armed response” in its airport facilities, after a call for tenders process.
It is therefore the SQ agents who will ensure security at the search points before boarding planes as well as at American pre-clearance — where American customs and immigration agents can refuse entry to the United States, from the Canadian airport.
The current contract between ADM and the SPVM since 2019 was due to expire in a few months. According to ADM, the Montreal police force has “expressed its desire” not to extend the agreement in its current framework.
A call for tenders process was therefore launched and three police forces were invited to participate, but only the SPVM and the SQ submitted bids, ADM emphasizes in its press release released Tuesday.
The choice of the SQ was “clear,” said ADM, who declined to provide further details on the number of SQ agents who will be assigned to the airport and their tasks, citing “a confidentiality agreement between the organizations.”
The contract awarded to the SQ will not completely exclude the presence of Montreal police officers. The SPVM will continue its interventions in response to crimes committed at the airport, and its tactical intervention group will still be called upon if necessary.
The SPVM police union said it was “greatly disappointed,” but not really surprised.
“This is a political decision first and foremost. The dice were loaded in advance and we have the impression that the SPVM was invited to a dinner of idiots,” said the president of the Montreal Police Brotherhood (FPPM), Yves Francoeur, in a statement.
For months, well before the call for tenders was officially launched, SQ executives were walking around the airport with ADM executives who are former SQ employees, he stressed.
“We are throwing away nearly 22 years of expertise and experience,” laments Mr. Francoeur. According to him, the SPVM police officers could offer unified communications and a significant mobilization capacity of police officers, which allows for effective intervention in the event of major events.
SQ agents will take up their posts on the 1ster January 2025.