MONTREAL — A former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer is formally accusing both the Sûreté du Québec and Longueuil municipal police of racial profiling after an encounter on the south shore of Montreal late last month.
Alleged confrontation in Longueuil
Maurice Carvery, who is Black, says the incident occurred on July 24 while he was smoking outside a restaurant in Longueuil. He recounts that a Longueuil police officer walked up to him and asked for identification without immediately providing a reason.
“He walked in a very deliberate manner straight towards me, ignoring anything that may have may or may not have been going around in his peripheral or his periphery,”
Carvery told reporters he initially refused to identify himself and attempted to leave the area while remaining courteous and questioning why officers had demanded his identification. He said that, as the interaction continued, more officers arrived from both the Longueuil municipal force and the Quebec provincial police until he was surrounded by 11 officers.
According to Carvery, an officer then told him he was violating a municipal bylaw by smoking too close to the restaurant. He said the area where he had been smoking contained cigarette butts and that people frequently gathered there to smoke. He further alleges that one of the officers pointed a taser at him despite his efforts to remain calm and non-threatening.
“She pointed a weapon at me when I offered no resistance. I was not being combative. I was not being threatening,” he said.
Formal complaints and calls for investigation
Carvery, supported by the Montreal advocacy group Red Coalition, announced that he has filed complaints with the province’s police ethics commission and the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. They have also written to Quebec’s minister responsible for public safety and domestic security to request an investigation.
The filings seek review of the conduct of officers from both agencies and question whether race was a factor in the decision to engage him so aggressively, Carvery and Red Coalition said at the news conference.
What the complaint alleges
The public description of the incident centres on a few specific allegations:
- An officer approached Carvery and demanded identification without giving an initial reason.
- Multiple officers arrived until Carvery was surrounded by 11 police officers from both Longueuil and the Sûreté du Québec.
- An officer pointed a taser at Carvery despite his non-threatening demeanour and his attempts to de-escalate.
- The smoking-by-law explanation was raised only after the request for identification, and Carvery disputes that he was in breach of local practice where people commonly smoked.
Oversight processes
The two provincial bodies to which complaints were filed play distinct roles: the police ethics commission examines alleged professional misconduct by officers, while the human-rights commission considers allegations of discrimination. If the minister responsible elects to open an investigation, that would add a political and administrative layer to the review.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date of incident | July 24 |
| Location | Outside a restaurant, Longueuil (south shore of Montreal) |
| Number of officers present | 11 |
| Complaints filed with | Police ethics commission; Human-rights commission; request to minister |
Context and community concerns
The complaint comes amid ongoing scrutiny across Canada of police interactions with racialized communities and debates about accountability mechanisms. Local advocacy groups say incidents like the one described by Carvery feed broader concerns among Black Montrealers and residents of the south shore about discretionary stops, use of force and transparency.
Red Coalition, which backed the complaint, has in the past called for stronger oversight and clearer procedures when race is alleged to play a role in policing decisions.
What happens next
Formal review by the police ethics commission and the human-rights commission typically involves an intake assessment to determine whether there is jurisdiction and sufficient grounds to proceed. If accepted, investigations can include witness statements, officer reports and, where available, body-worn or surveillance footage. The minister’s office may also choose to direct or request additional inquiries.
At the news conference announcing the filings, Carvery described his concern about escalation and his perception that officers were not working to calm the situation despite his efforts — the core grievance now under formal review.
The Longueuil police and the Sûreté du Québec were asked for comment about the specific allegations but had not issued public responses at the time of the filings. The oversight bodies and the minister’s office have not yet announced whether they will open formal investigations.
The outcome of these complaints could bear on how municipal and provincial forces handle similar street-level encounters going forward and on public confidence in existing oversight mechanisms.
