Montreal should put moratorium on police street checks, former justice minister says – CBC

‘It undermines confidence in the administration of justice,’ Irwin Cotler says

Nov 18, 2019

Former federal justice minister Irwin Cotler has endorsed a motion that will go to Montreal city council on Monday, calling for a moratorium on police street checks in the city.

Cotler says until legislation is drafted to ensure police checks are conducted fairly, they should be banned.

He cited a report released in October that found black, Indigenous and Arab people more likely to be stopped in random street checks by Montreal police.

“The report demonstrated that police checks are arbitrary, selective and discriminatory,” said Cotler, who now chairs the Montreal-based NGO the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/irwin-cotler-police-street-checks-1.5362923