Montreal police say seven members of the force have been fired following allegations of discriminatory and racist conduct.
At a news conference Monday, SPVM Chief Fady Dagher called it an unprecedented and historic day, announcing that the seven officers had been dismissed and had turned in their guns and badges. Five were based at Station 39 in Montreal North, while two were from Station 21 downtown.
Dagher said “the culture of silence” has been broken.
Montreal police chief Fady Dagher speaks to media on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.
Global News
“Some people say there are never any consequences at the SPVM. Today we are announcing exceptional measures,” he said.
He added that the actions of the officers who were dismissed were “malicious” and not accidental mistakes. He said the force made the choice in the name of the public interest and public security of the population.
“We judge a police officer by the way they treat those who cannot defend themselves,” he said.
Dagher said the dismissals are related to allegations involving racism, discrimination and the mistreatment of vulnerable people.
The news comes three days after Dagher promised serious action following a series of scandals that led the police service to suspend at least six officers in recent months. He said Monday’s announcement involved the “same individuals.”
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On Friday, he said the evidence still to emerge from the series of misconduct investigations involving his officers will be “catastrophic,” warning the public that “there’s more to come.”
The allegations include criminal misconduct and racism by some officers, including members of a patrol unit in Montreal North that police dismantled in the summer.
The unit operated in a multicultural borough in the city’s northeast with a history of tensions between residents and police, including allegations of police brutality.
Police began investigating the team in March after receiving internal complaints about alleged racism and criminal misconduct, including reports that officers cut the hair of racialized citizens and kept it as trophies.
At Station 21 in downtown Montreal, allegations have surfaced that officers mistreated people experiencing homelessness, including an allegation that an officer urinated on an unhoused person.
Police also announced last week that an officer could face criminal charges after allegedly concealing evidence related to a situation involving domestic violence in 2025.
Radio-Canada reported Thursday that an officer responding to a call in connection with the case allegedly deleted video evidence provided by the victim on her phone. The report suggested the officer knew the alleged perpetrator.
Dagher said all the cases have been submitted to the Crown prosecutor’s office and that criminal charges could also follow. He said he believes the criminal cases are solid and that charges are a strong possibility.
He stressed that the cases involve about one per cent of the force and praised the other 99 per cent of officers for their work.
In a statement, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said the SPVM had taken an unprecedented step toward rebuilding public trust.
“No one is above the rules,” she said. “This work is demanding and necessary, and it must continue.”
Official Opposition Projet Montréal, however, said the dismissals do not address what it called the underlying problem. Party leader Ericka Alneus reiterated calls for Martinez Ferrada to urgently summon Dagher before city council to answer questions from elected officials. Projet Montréal tabled an emergency motion on Oct. 19 seeking his appearance.
Alneus said firing officers who commit violent or reprehensible acts was necessary, but was “only the baseline,” and that substantially more would be needed to rebuild trust between Montrealers and the SPVM. She also pushed back on Dagher’s assertion that only one per cent of officers “tarnish the uniform.”
“When people call 911, they don’t want to play the lottery,” Alneus said.
Other allegations that have surfaced in recent months include an officer who allegedly posed for photos mocking suspects under arrest in humiliating positions.
— with files from The Canadian Press
