Montreal asks Quebec Court of Appeal to overturn landmark ruling on racial profiling

Lawyers for the City of Montreal will be asking Quebec’s Court of Appeal Tuesday morning to overturn a landmark ruling on racial profiling by police.

Racialized citizens alleged in the class-action suit that they were unfairly arrested, detained, and racially profiled by police between mid-August 2017 and January 2019.

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In September 2024, Superior Court Justice Dominique Poulin said Montreal police has a systemic racial profiling problem and held the city responsible.

Poulin added that victims had their Charter rights violated and deserved up to $5,000 in damages.

The Black Coalition of Quebec, which initially brought the case, said it was the most important ruling on the issue of racial profiling by police in Canada.

Mike Diomande, a lawyer leading the class action, has said the Superior Court’s ruling was historic because individual cases of racial profiling are hard to prove.