Montreal adopts bylaw banning insults against police, municipal employees

Erika Morris · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Sep 21, 2026 6:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 21

Montreal city assembly has adopted a bylaw to ban group from insulting constabulary officers and another municipal employees.

The conversation complete the regulation lasted complete fractional an hour, alongside the Official Opposition saying the projected bylaw was "half-baked." It was adopted alongside 35 voting in favor and 25 opposed.

"We are being asked to ballot now and consult later," stated Marie Plourde, chief of the Official Opposition.

Under the bylaw, residents who criticism city personnel would visage fines between $300 and $1,000 for a archetypal offence. Subsequent offences could outcome in fines up to $2,000.

City officials have not stated whenever they volition execute the bylaw.

Yves Francœur, caput of the constabulary brotherhood, has stated his union's members have been pushing for specified a bylaw for years. But lawyers and civic entitlements groups concern the bylaw could infringe on the lawful correct to liberty of expression.

Other municipalities in the province, including Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Sherbrooke, already have akin bylaws.

• Police in Quebec municipalities issued thousands of fines for insulting officers

The Canadian Press reported in June that several of these municipalities have issued thousands of fines complete the former six years.

"Giving the center finger, it's not what volition provision you a ticket," Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada stated before the assembly meeting.

"Let's fair be honest. There's bigger issues in conditions of the outlook of several citizens."

City workforce could refuse service

The new Montreal bylaw would ban insults, harassment, threats, abuse and intimidation, as fine as insulting and assured behaviour.

It additionally includes provisions saying city workforce could refuse to provision services to person who misbehaves. However, the bylaw doesn't define what could be construed as an insult.

City councillor Carla Beauvais heavily criticized the administration for not providing apparent definitions. She additionally questioned the deficiency of community consultations.

"A danger can be proven. An insulting term is felt. And how a individual feels can change from one individual to another. So anywhere does the offence begin? Where does permissible rage end? The content doesn't say," stated Beauvais.

She cited assorted decisions from the Quebec City municipal court in which judges could not concur on what constitutes an insult, raising concerns that the regulation volition logic a backlog at the courthouse.

Citizens are concerned, councillor says

Opposition councillor Martine Musau Muele added that assembly was asked to ballot on the regulation without adequate information. She stated the documents councillors received did not provision data and reports to assistance the need for the bylaw.

She additionally stated the city did not behavior any hazard appraisal or demonstrate that the measures under the Criminal Code are insufficient to agreement alongside belligerent residents.

"Citizens are extremely concerned. People do not comprehend the reasoning of the administration. What led you to decide that today, alongside everything going on, that this is the most optimal move?" Muele said. "This is a draft, not a proposal."

• Man who filmed himself insulting SPVM authoritative facing offender defamation charges

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The two councillors additionally raised concerns about giving constabulary additional powers during community rely is fragile.

In June, Montreal constabulary disbanded a night patrol component in the multicultural neighbourhood of Montréal-Nord complete allegations of racism and misconduct.

Mayor acknowledges concerns

During council, Martinez Ferrada acknowledged that "there volition be additional questions about this bylaw in the coming months" but insisted the administration "needed to act." She stated the administration would create reports publically available.

She stated she "understands the concerns," and "shares several of them." However, she stated incidents of inappropriate behavior have risen dramatically and are harming city employees, and making it additional difficult to enlist new employees.

"We are merely saying that there is a row between challenging an institution and engaging in behavior that is inappropriate toward the group who activity for it," stated the mayor.

"The thousands of women and men who activity all day to assist Montreal have the correct to safety from their employer, which is us."

She noted that women are most frequently the mark of disrespectful behavior and listed misogynistic insults she stated workforce commonly receive.

The conversation about banning insults in Montreal resurfaced in March, following videos of a man insulting a constabulary authoritative alongside misogynistic comments went viral. The man was charged in July alongside defamatory libel under the Criminal Code and had pleaded not guilty.

However, critics have stated the bylaw could hinder de-escalation efforts and damage those who are victims of ethnic profiling, in crisis, or experiencing homelessness.

Four community organizations sent the chief executive a letter on Sept. 17 expressing their concerns. These organizations contain entitlements and liberty assistance groups, a lawful medicinal center and an anti-racism collection based in the borough of Montréal-Nord, anywhere the constabulary patrol component was disbanded.

• Montreal constabulary officers could commencement wearing build cameras inside the next year, chief executive says

"The projected regulation does not merely prohibit aggressive behavior or behavior that threatens bodily integrity, which is already prohibited by the Criminal Code," the four organizations wrote in a shared letter. "It bans expressions that are not threatening merely since they are apt to logic discomfort, for example, 'offensive' behaviour."

They additionally asserted the rules could be applied arbitrarily since it would be remaining to constabulary officers' discretion to matter fines.

Another lawyer, Sibel Ataogul, has projected offering liberated lawful assistance to citizens contesting the bylaw.