Mayor acknowledges existence of systemic discrimination in city
Plante says she is now open to equipping police officers with body cameras
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said Tuesday she has no problem acknowledging systemic discrimination is an issue in Montreal, saying admitting the problem is the first step to fixing it.
Plante’s remarks were in stark contrast to those of Quebec Premier François Legault, who has drawn criticism this week after twice saying he doesn’t believe systemic racism exists in the province.
The issue has been brought to the forefront after thousands protested against racism and police brutality in Montreal on Sunday. The demonstration was sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man killed while in police custody in Minneapolis.
“It’s OK to say there is systemic discrimination,” Plante said at a news conference Tuesday. “It doesn’t mean that everybody is a racist and everything needs to be condemned.
“It’s about recognizing that there is bias, there are stereotypes, ways we’ve been raised, things we say and things we don’t see,” she added. “To name it is one first step so we can better move forward, address it and find solutions.”
Despite deciding against the measure only a year ago, Plante also said the city of Montreal is now open to equipping its police officers with body cameras — as long as further studies are done.
Plante was asked about the possibility after three boroughs tabled motions Monday night, put forward by opposition party Ensemble Montréal, calling on the city to implement a body camera program in its police force.
The city had decided against using the cameras last year after studying the issue in a pilot project.
Plante called the pilot project a “failure” Tuesday and said Montreal is already in talks with the province about looking into the matter.
She said issues with the initial pilot project included not establishing whether the footage captured on the cameras could be used as evidence in court.
Plante could not give a timeline on the talks happening with the provincial government, but said the city wants body cameras in place “as fast as we can.”
“Body cams, our street check policy, training and raising awareness are all part of the tool box we need to have a better grip on possible systemic discrimination and social and racial profiling,” Plante said.
Last August, a Quebec Superior Court judge authorized a class-action lawsuit against the city for incidents of racial profiling by its police department.
A few months later, a report ordered by the city found Montreal police are between four and five times more likely to stop a person of colour than a white person.
To name it is one first step so we can better move forward, address it and find solutions.