Military police watchdog calls public hearing into alleged civilian detention at Montreal base

Canada's military police watchdog will hold a public interest hearing following allegations that a civilian employee was "affected and brutalized" by officers' conduct during an active shooter exercise at Canadian Forces Base Montreal last November.

A complaint alleges three or four military police members pointed weapons at the employee. It alleges one officer ordered him to lie down on the ground and dragged him by his coverall and sweater, tearing the clothing.

The employee, who was painting on site, claims the event happened so quickly he believed a serious incident was unfolding and he was the prime suspect. He had been informed of the exercise but did not know its timing and was not a participant.

According to the complaint, the employee was violently detained, searched and later ordered to leave the area. The employee claims he spent the remainder of the exercise outside in freezing temperatures wearing only his damaged coverall and sweater.

The Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) said the complaint was submitted on Nov. 21, 2024, by a union representative on behalf of the employee.

The union also says many civilian employees did not know about the drill and believed they were witnessing a real attack.

The MPCC transferred the complaint to the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal, who is responsible for dealing with conduct complaints.

In late January, the deputy provost marshal issued a decision that determined the conduct in the complaint — namely training — is excluded from the definition of policing duties and functions, according to the MPCC.

The deputy indicated in a letter that an investigation under the Military Police Professional Code of Conduct, an internal military police process, was launched and the complainant would be kept confirmed.

According to a news release from the MPCC sent out Wednesday morning, the complainant was "dissatisfied" with the handling of the complaint and requested the watchdog conduct an independent review.

The MPCC's chairperson, Tammy Tremblay, wrote in her decision to hold a public hearing that there's a public interest "given the seriousness of the allegations regarding the military police's treatment of apprehended individuals during arrest and detention.

"The employee claims to have experienced humiliation and mistreatment that caused him significant trauma, the effects of which he continues to suffer today," Tremblay wrote.

"The employee stresses that he never imagined that he would experience such a situation in a National Defence establishment and that the military police member's actions reminded him of certain barbaric acts he experienced in Rwanda in 1994."

Tremblay disputed the deputy provost marshall's letter and wrote the alleged conduct "does not relate to 'training.'"

In its news release, the MPCC said the allegations raise serious concerns but have not been proven. The hearing will be mainly virtual at a date to be announced.