--- title: "Montreal police racism reports span four decades, court rules systemic" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic" category: "Politics" published: "2026-08-10T09:05:35.200Z" source_reported: "2026-08-10T08:00:11.000Z" updated: "2026-08-10T09:05:35.200Z" trust_score: 74 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 12 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-10T11:52:00.091Z" --- # Montreal police racism reports span four decades, court rules systemic *A 2024 Quebec Superior Court decision and multiple inquiries found racial profiling in the force, with no right-rated outlet covering the story* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 74 of 100, higher is better. Trust score reflects named sources and documents, but only one original outlet provided the full report. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Critic score notes clear context, specific data and upcoming meeting, though lacks direct quotations. - Hype 12 of 100, lower is better. Hype rating low; article is factual without sensational language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The Bellemare Commission, launched after the 1987 killing of Antony Griffin, found discriminatory practices in Montreal police and led to the creation of the police ethics commissioner in 1990. - A 2019 report commissioned by the city found Black and Indigenous people were four to five times more likely to be stopped by Montreal police, with little change in a 2023 follow-up. - In 2024, a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled racial profiling is a systemic issue in Montreal police, a decision the city is appealing. - No right-rated outlet among the 17 that ran the story published any report or digest on the topic. Montreal police have faced repeated allegations of racism and discriminatory practices over four decades, documented in reports, inquiries and lawsuits. The earliest, the Bellemare Commission, was launched after a police officer shot and killed Antony Griffin, a 19-year-old Black man, in 1987. The commission’s report, authored by lawyer Jacques Bellemare, identified discriminatory practices and persistent tensions between police and racialised communities. It recommended training, oversight reforms and hiring more officers from diverse backgrounds, leading to the creation of the police ethics commissioner in 1990. In 2008, the police killing of Fredy Villanueva, an 18-year-old, in Montréal-Nord prompted a Quebec Ombudsman special report. The report found systemic issues in police oversight and contributed to the creation of Quebec’s independent police watchdog, the BEI. A 2019 report by three independent researchers, commissioned by the city, found Black and Indigenous people were four to five times more likely to be stopped by Montreal police. A 2023 follow-up report showed those figures had remained virtually unchanged. In 2024, a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled that racial profiling is a systemic issue in Montreal’s police force, a decision stemming from a class-action lawsuit. The city has appealed the ruling. Montreal’s public consultation office also raised concerns in 2020 about a “culture of impunity” within the police force, citing complaints about the credibility of oversight bodies. ## What the coverage left out No right-rated outlet among the 17 that ran the story published any report or digest on it. None of the digests from left or centre outlets mentioned the city’s appeal of the 2024 court ruling, though Medicine Hat News included it in its full report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 23 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 74% (17) - Centre: 26% (6) - Right: 0% (0) 2 of 25 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-10T11:52:00.091Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 12 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-10T12:15:20.123Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - All 11 left-rated digests led on the recent allegations of racism and brutality at a Montreal police station, which surfaced in June 2026. They noted that local residents were preparing for a public meeting with city officials and the police chief. The digests also carried the key findings of the Bellemare Commission, the 2019 report on racial disparities in police stops, and the 2024 court ruling that called racial profiling systemic. None of the digests omitted any of these three findings. ### Centre - The four centre-rated digests also led on the June 2026 allegations of racism and brutality at a Montreal police station and the upcoming public meeting. Medicine Hat News, the only centre-rated outlet to publish a full report, included the same three key findings as the left-rated digests: the Bellemare Commission’s conclusions, the 2019 report’s stop disparities, and the 2024 court ruling. The three centre-rated digests did not omit any of these details. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 16 - unknown: 3 - veryHigh: 6 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [CBC News](https://cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/reports-lawsuits-inquiries-into-police-racism-quebec-9.7301469) — Here are some major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [National Observer](https://nationalobserver.com/2026/08/10/news/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-complaints-montreal) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen the trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [Ckpg Today](https://ckpgtoday.ca/2026/08/10/five-things-to-know-montreal-police-chiefs-video-message-about-racism-allegations) — Five things to know Montreal police chief’s video message about racism allegations - [Battlefords NOW](https://battlefordsnow.com/2026/08/10/five-things-to-know-montreal-police-chiefs-video-message-about-racism-allegations) — Five things to know Montreal police chief’s video message about racism allegations - [Rocky Mountain Outlook](https://rmoutlook.com/national-news/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal-12645913) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [meadowlakeNOW](https://meadowlakenow.com/2026/08/10/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [Sudbury](https://sudbury.com/national/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal-12645913) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [nanaimonewsnow.com](https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2026/08/10/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [CambridgeToday.ca](https://cambridgetoday.ca/national-news/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal-12645913) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/canada/quebec/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec/article_705e7a9f-fbcd-5d73-aa0c-0307e44b908d.html) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [SooToday.com](https://sootoday.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Airdrie City View](https://airdriecityview.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Elora Fergus Today](https://elorafergustoday.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Bowen Island Undercurrent](https://bowenislandundercurrent.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645921) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Sudbury](https://sudbury.com/national/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Bay Today](https://baytoday.ca/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Guelph Today](https://guelphtoday.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [InnisfilToday.ca](https://innisfiltoday.ca/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Medicine Hat News](https://medicinehatnews.com/news/national-news/2026/08/10/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [thealbertan.com](https://thealbertan.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Ckpg Today](https://ckpgtoday.ca/2026/08/10/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [flamboroughtoday.com](https://flamboroughtoday.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [nanaimonewsnow.com](https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2026/08/10/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [The Lethbridge Herald](https://lethbridgeherald.com/news/national-news/2026/08/10/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Orillia Matters](https://orilliamatters.com/national-news/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec-12645914) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [SooToday.com](https://sootoday.com/national-news/five-things-to-know-montreal-police-chiefs-video-message-about-racism-allegations-12645915) — Five things to know Montreal police chief's video message about racism allegations - [Airdrie City View](https://airdriecityview.com/national-news/five-things-to-know-montreal-police-chiefs-video-message-about-racism-allegations-12645915) — Five things to know Montreal police chief's video message about racism allegations - [Oakville News](https://oakvillenews.org/national-news/five-things-to-know-montreal-police-chiefs-video-message-about-racism-allegations-12645915) — Five things to know Montreal police chief's video message about racism allegations - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/canada/2026/08/10/brutality-racism-allegations-deepen-trust-gap-after-years-of-complaints-in-montreal) — Brutality, racism allegations deepen trust gap after years of complaints in Montreal - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/canada/2026/08/10/here-are-major-reports-inquiries-and-lawsuits-into-police-racism-in-quebec) — Here are major reports, inquiries and lawsuits into police racism in Quebec - [Corruption by Cops](https://corruptionbycops.com/quebec-police-ethics-commissioner-opens-file-into-montreal-nord-racism-allegations-montreal-global-news) — Quebec police ethics commissioner opens file into Montréal-Nord racism allegations – Montreal – Global News ## Questions **What did the Bellemare Commission find?** The Bellemare Commission, launched after the 1987 police killing of Antony Griffin, found discriminatory practices in Montreal police. Its 1987 report recommended training, oversight reforms and hiring more officers from diverse communities, leading to the creation of the police ethics commissioner in 1990. **What did the 2019 report on Montreal police stops show?** A 2019 report by three independent researchers, commissioned by the city, found Black and Indigenous people were four to five times more likely to be stopped by Montreal police. A 2023 follow-up report showed those figures had remained virtually unchanged. **What did the 2024 Quebec Superior Court ruling say?** In 2024, a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled that racial profiling is a systemic issue in Montreal’s police force. The decision came from a class-action lawsuit, and the city has appealed it. **Which outlets covered the story?** Left and centre-rated outlets carried the story, including 11 left-rated digests and four centre-rated digests. Medicine Hat News published a full report. No right-rated outlet among the 17 that ran the story published any report or digest on it. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Montreal police racism reports span four decades, court rules systemic", https://mediabias.news/politics/montreal-police-racism-reports-span-four-decades-court-rules-systemic