Suspensions without pay abolished in proposed Montreal police collective agreement

Montreal police officers could no longer be suspended without pay regardless of the nature of investigation against them under their new proposed collective agreement.

The agreement in principle is the product of negotiations between the police brotherhood and the City of Montreal and has yet to be ratified by the city's police officers, who are voting on it this week.

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An annex to the 100-page agreement outlines the clause in question, which includes the following whole or partial protections for police salaries:

• For all complaints related to ethical or disciplinary breaches: Full salary no suspensions without pay.
• For all criminal charges related to performance of police duties: Maintain regular duties; reassigned; or suspension with full pay, unless they're imprisoned.
• For all charges for indictable offenses not related to police duties: Suspension with half pay.

Police officers serving in Laval, Longueuil and Gatineau do not benefit from such protections, but officers in Quebec City do.

High-ranking Montreal police officers also already enjoy such protection.

Innocent until proven guilty, lawyer says

Criminal lawyer Walid Hijazi said the new clause respects the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Officers facing ethical complaints or criminal charges are also protected by this right, he said.

"The presumption of innocence is a sacred principle in our society," Hijazi said. "The accused is presumed innocent and is not expected to suffer consequences as a result of the charges against them, as long as the accused has not been found guilty."

Vote results expectedThursday evening

Montreal police officers had been without a collective agreement since 2015.

If the agreement-in-principle isadopted, the agreement will bring to an endthree years of protests and pressure tactics by about 4,600 police officersincludingsporting colourful pantsto protest the provincialgovernment's municipal pension reform.

The City of Montreal and the police brotherhood both declined to comment until the vote is over.

The result of the vote is expected to be known Thursday evening.