Montreal man files fifth police ethics complaint over alleged racial profiling by SPVM
Posted November 22, 2025 5:56 pm.
Last Updated November 22, 2025 6:08 pm.
A Black Montreal man filed his fifth police ethics complaint after a traffic stop he says was unjustified.
Kenrick McRae says Montreal police (SPVM) pulled him over on Oct. 11.
According to the complaint, officers followed McRae’s vehicle for several intersections before pulling him over, claiming his brake light was defective.
Video recorded by McRae, however, shows the centre brake light functioning properly.
“They didn’t ever tell me where the light is that is blown. It was the right, the left, or the middle, right?” said McRae.
Despite this, officers opened both doors of his vehicle, conducted a warrantless search, and seized a medical neck and upper-back brace, suggesting it resembled contraband.
McRae was subsequently issued a $186 ticket under section 221 of the Highway Safety Code.
“This is the kind of humiliation I got to go through as a citizen and a taxpayer in this part of the world,” said McRae.
McRae reports being stopped an average of three to five times per month, with prior complaints filed over the last eight years.
He says he no longer feels safe driving in Montreal.
“Every time I get behind the wheel, I face the risk of being stopped just for being who I am,” said McRae.
At a press conference, Joel de Bellefeuille, founder and executive director of the Red Coalition, called the incident “part of a pattern that continues to affect Black and racialized motorists in the city of Montreal.”
Alain Babineau, director of racial profiling and public safety for the coalition, said the case reflects a recurring practice within the SPVM that allows officers to pull over drivers for minor or nonexistent infractions.
“The baseless stop, the intrusive search, the comments about a medical brace, and a ticket contradicted by video evidence all point to discriminatory policing,” Babineau said in a press release.
He also emphasized the urgent need for police body cameras to provide accountability in modern policing.
“No resident in this city should have to live with that level of constant fear and uncertainty while simply driving to work, running errands, or going about there every day,” said de Bellefeuille.
In an email, Montreal police told CityNews they don’t comment on specific interventions, but say anyone who feels wronged can file a complaint.
The SPVM adds the stops in this case were traffic-code infractions, not discretionary “interpellations”, and points to its updated policy on police stops released earlier this year.
Two complaints have now been filed on McRae’s behalf: one to the Police Ethics Commission, which examines officer conduct under the Police Act, and another to the Quebec Human Rights Commission seeking damages for pain, suffering, and discriminatory treatment.
