More aboriginal complaints against SQ to be analyzed

Montreal police say the force will pore over 10 years’ worth of complaints against Sûreté du Québec officers from aboriginal people across the province.

Through a series of YouTube clips and other media produced in four aboriginal languages, Montreal’s police department has asked anyone who may have been abused by an SQ ofcer over that period to come forward. Investigators will look at any complaint that hasn’t already been placed before a Crown prosecutor.

These were some of the updates Montreal police provided Tuesday as they met with community members in Val-d’Or to discuss their criminal probe into allegations that eight SQ ofcers abused aboriginal women in the city.

In an investigative report broadcast by Radio-Canada last year, 12 aboriginal women spoke about being beaten and harassed by police in Val-d’Or.

In the most extreme example, one woman spoke about being given money and cocaine by police ofcers in exchange for sexual favours.

After the Radio-Canada report hit the airwaves last October, Quebec’s public security minister called upon Montreal police to investigate the claims. To appease concerns that one police department investigating another might produce biased results, the minister appointed an independent civilian observer to oversee the probe.

Université Laval law professor Fannie Lafontaine took the job on the condition that she have the ability to blow the whistle on any police misconduct. Lafontaine was also in Val-d’Or Tuesday for the meeting.

Police handed their investigation over to Crown prosecutors last week. Quebec’s provincial prosecutor’s ofce said last Friday that it will painstakingly review the police report and determine whether or not to press charges against the SQ ofcers.

The mandate given to Montreal police last fall also included previous complaints made by aboriginals to the SQ, which were handled internally by the provincial force.