New bylaw proposes fines up to $2,000 for those who insult municipal employees in Montreal
Posted September 18, 2026 9:29 am.
Montreal elected officials will vote as early as next week on a proposed municipal bylaw prohibiting insults against police officers and other municipal employees.
The bylaw would prohibit “intimidation, harassment, threats, insults or abuse” or “offensive, humiliating, abusive, violent or aggressive behavior” towards any employee on duty.
If the bylaw is passed, offenders could face fines of $350 to $1,000 for a first offence and up to $2,000 for subsequent offences.
A video posted on social media showing a young motorist who was particularly aggressive towards Montreal Police (SPVM) officers prompted the municipal administration to take action.
Some organizations are denouncing the bylaw and say it poses a significant risk.
“Allowing SPVM officers to impose fines for comments seen as offensive, but not threatening, significantly accentuates the power imbalance between law enforcement and the public. This new power risks leading to arbitrary, even discriminatory, measures against people who are already subject to excessive police surveillance and racial profiling, particularly Black, Indigenous and Arab communities.” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Quebec Spokesperson and Director of Fundamental Freedoms at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Organizations say the lack of definition and wide range of conduct of varying seriousness leaves room for errors and paves the way for subjective, even arbitrary or discriminatory interpretations by SPVM officers.
“While the City is slow to revise its bylaws to remove provisions that facilitate racial and social profiling, it is appalling that it is proposing to adopt a new bylaw that unjustifiably infringes on freedom of expression and will create more problems than it will solve,” said Lynda Khelil, spokesperson and political lead at the League of Rights and Freedoms.
The proposed regulation will be discussed next Monday or Tuesday, as part of the next meeting of the municipal council.
