Black public servants working for the City of Montreal are calling for concrete action to address systemic racism within public institutions, saying that years of concerns and recommendations must now lead to meaningful change.
The renewed calls come amid mounting scrutiny of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) following allegations of racism and misconduct involving officers in Montreal North.
A committee representing Black municipal employees has written to government officials demanding action and emphasizing that the concerns extend beyond the police service.
Calls for Action, Not More Promises
In their letter, Black city employees say they have been raising concerns about racism for years.
They argue that the issue requires concrete solutions rather than additional promises to study the problem.
According to the reporting, employees in different areas of the city have already taken steps to raise concerns, including meeting with human resources and municipal officials and preparing recommendations and memoranda.
For these employees, the current situation represents an opportunity for institutions to move from acknowledging systemic racism to taking measurable steps to address it.
Allegations Within the Montreal Police Service
The renewed attention follows events involving SPVM’s PDQ 39 in Montreal North, where a patrol unit was dismantled on June 12 after serious allegations of racism and misconduct.
Police officials announced that two officers had been suspended and 14 others reassigned following the allegations.
Police Chief Fady Dagher said the investigation began in March after information was brought forward by other officers.
The developments have also raised concerns among Black employees within the police service. According to The Canadian Press, Black members of the Montreal police had previously written to a senior police official expressing concern about possible reprisals for reporting instances of racism.
The letters have been received by the office of Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada.
Calls for an Independent Public Inquiry
The debate has also raised questions about whether an internal police investigation is sufficient to address allegations involving the police force itself.
Dardia Joseph, a lawyer with Clinique Juridique Saint-Michel, said the group she represents is calling for a full public inquiry.
She argued that an institution investigating itself cannot provide the level of transparency and accountability that the public requires when allegations concern racial profiling and racism within the police service.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said an observer would be assigned to monitor the police investigation. However, no public inquiry had been initiated at the time of the report.
The provincial government indicated that it wanted to see the results of the existing investigation before determining what further steps should be taken.
Concerns About Racial Profiling
The calls for broader accountability come against a backdrop of complaints involving racial profiling and racial discrimination.
Joseph said that between 2024 and 2025, 493 complaints were filed concerning racial profiling or racial discrimination by members of the police force.
According to the figures cited in the report, seven of those complaints were brought before the province’s police ethics tribunal, with two resulting in findings of a derogatory act.
For advocates, these figures reinforce the argument that stronger mechanisms are needed to ensure that complaints are properly investigated and that members of the public have confidence in the process.
Why Independent Oversight Matters
Advocates argue that independent oversight is important when allegations involve an institution with the responsibility of investigating itself.
Joseph said an internal investigation and a public inquiry could take place at the same time rather than waiting for one process to finish before beginning another.
She pointed to previous research, court rulings, and public controversies as evidence that there is already substantial information available to warrant further examination.
The debate is therefore not simply about one incident or one group of officers. It raises broader questions about how institutions identify, investigate, and respond to systemic racism.
A History of Calls for Change
Montreal has faced previous investigations and public discussions surrounding racism and policing.
Joseph noted that the last public inquiry into racism within the Montreal police force followed the 2008 death of Fredy Alberto Villanueva.
The reference to that earlier inquiry underscores the longstanding nature of concerns about policing and racial discrimination in Montreal.
For Black public servants and community advocates, the continued emergence of similar concerns raises questions about whether previous recommendations have resulted in sufficient institutional change.
From Recognition to Reform
One of the central messages from Black municipal employees is that acknowledging racism is not enough.
For meaningful progress to occur, institutions must establish clear mechanisms for reporting concerns, protecting employees and members of the public who come forward, investigating allegations independently, and ensuring accountability when misconduct is established.
This also requires listening to employees who experience institutional challenges firsthand.
Black public servants are not simply calling attention to problems within the workplace. Their demands speak to the broader responsibility of public institutions to ensure that services are delivered fairly and that employees and residents can trust the systems designed to serve them.
Building Public Trust
Trust between communities and public institutions is difficult to build and can be difficult to restore once it has been damaged.
For communities that have experienced or reported racial profiling and discrimination, transparency and accountability are particularly important.
An effective response must therefore address both individual incidents and the broader structures that may allow discriminatory practices to persist.
The current calls from Black municipal employees provide an opportunity for Montreal and Quebec officials to examine existing systems and consider whether stronger independent oversight and accountability mechanisms are needed.
The Need for Concrete Change
The demands being made by Black public servants come at a moment of heightened public attention to systemic racism within Montreal’s institutions.
Their message is straightforward: years of raising concerns, submitting recommendations, and calling for change should lead to action.
Whether through stronger oversight, independent investigations, improved complaint mechanisms, or broader institutional reforms, the goal is to ensure that concerns about systemic racism are addressed in ways that are transparent, credible, and meaningful.
For Montreal’s Black public servants and community advocates, the priority now is moving beyond promises and toward concrete action — action that can strengthen accountability, rebuild trust, and help create public institutions where everyone is treated fairly and with dignity.