The purpose of this page is to present in a general and simplified manner the law in force in Quebec concerning citizens' rights as well as police powers and duties. This is not legal advice or advice. To find out the rules specific to your situation, consult a lawyer.

Code of Ethics for Québec Police Officers

The Code of ethics of Québec police officers determines the duties and standards of conduct of different types of peace officers in the performance of their duties when dealing with the public. The articles of the Code of ethics of Québec police officers are intended to guide police officers and other peace officers to use their special powers appropriately, while respecting the rights and freedoms of the public.

Here are the police duties in the context of their relations with the public :

• behave in such a way as to maintain the confidence and consideration required by their position.
• avoid any form of abuse of authority in its dealings with the public.
• respect the authority of the law and the courts and cooperate in the administration of justice.
• perform their duties with probity.
• perform their duties with impartiality and impartiality and avoid placing themselves in a situation where they would be in a conflict of interest that could compromise his impartiality or adversely affect their judgment and loyalty.
• respect the rights of anyone in their care and avoid showing them complacency.
• use a weapon and any other piece of equipment with caution and discernment.

Police Act

Under the Police Act, all police officers have the task of maintaining peace, order and public safety, preventing and repressing crime and searching for the perpetrators. To do this, all police officers must ensure the safety of persons and property, safeguard rights and freedoms, respect victims and be attentive to their needs and cooperate with the community while respecting cultural pluralism.

The main purpose of the Police Act is to protect the public and to set out the procedure for filing a complaint against a police officer. Every peace officer is subject to this law and exposes himself to a complaint if he does not respect his Code of Ethics.

The police officer concerned by a complaint that is submitted for conciliation must cooperate with the Commissaire à la déontologie policière and their presence is compulsory at the conciliation session. If an investigation is initiated, the police officer under investigation is not obliged to cooperate and offer a statement, but any police witness has the obligation to cooperate (for example, by providing a document or a statement to the investigator) and not to interfere in any way with the work of the Commissaire à la déontologie policière in its investigation.

Finally, the Police Act provides that every police officer must inform their director of the behavior of another police officer which is likely to constitute a criminal offense or a serious breach of ethics.

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