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If the general public cannot voice their concerns directly to the people that they employ to do a specific job, they break down a feedback loop. When you break down a feedback loop like that, your communication is, by definition, broken down and things are going to get bad.
The bylaw doesn't break the feedback loop—it fines insults, not criticism—but its vague wording could chill legitimate complaints, and that's the real risk.
Why it matters: If Montrealers fear fines for harsh criticism, the bylaw could worsen police-community relations and lose in court.
- The bylaw, passed 35–25 on Sept. 21, fines first offences $350–$1,000 and repeats up to $2,000 for 'intimidation, harassment, threats, insults' or 'offensive, humiliating, abusive' behaviour toward municipal workers.
- Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada insists the right to criticize police, contest an intervention, or disagree 'remains fully protected'—'if you want to flip off a police officer, do it,' she told council.
- Civil liberties groups say letting SPVM officers decide what is 'offensive' deepens the power imbalance and invites arbitrary, discriminatory enforcement.
- Citizens can still file complaints against officers through the SPVM's client services or internal affairs—the bylaw doesn't replace those channels.
- Lawyer Tracey Rutland says Canadian jurisprudence is clear: insulting a police officer is as legal as insulting anyone else, so the bylaw likely fails in court.
Room for disagreement
- The city frames the bylaw as a necessary response to rising abuse of staff; the CCLA, Ligue des droits et libertés, and the official opposition call it vague, rushed, and a free-speech threat.
- Legal experts like Rutland predict a court challenge will succeed; the city argues the bylaw is constitutional and will be applied only to the most serious cases.
AI-generated with web search — may be wrong. Check the linked sources.
