A resurfaced video showing a motorist hurling misogynistic insults at a female SPVM officer is sparking debate over whether the city should adopt a bylaw prohibiting insults directed at police.
The footage, originally recorded in June 2025 and posted on Tiktok, shows a driver verbally attacking the officer after being pulled over for tinted windows. He had been charged with a $186 fine.
The man can be heard shouting a series of vulgar and degrading remarks: “you’re my slave, like, if I want you to be, you’d be my slave. You f*cking b*tch,” and, “shut the f*ck up, shut the f*ck up, you f*cking b*tch.”
The video has drawn swift condemnation from Montreal police chief Fady Dagher, who noted that while the behaviour is unacceptable, there is currently no law preventing people from insulting police officers.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada also weighed in Tuesday, calling the language and behaviour in the video “unacceptable.”
“It is sexist and shows a complete lack of respect for our police officers, who do a difficult job,” the mayor said in a statement.
Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette echoed that sentiment, saying police officers “do difficult work” and need to be “supported” in their role to “serve and protect” the public.
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Dagher is now calling on the city to examine whether a new bylaw could be introduced to prevent similar incidents.
The mayor’s office told CityNews Tuesday it is too early to determine whether such a measure is feasible, but confirmed that discussions with police are expected. No formal process has been launched.
Police say the issue is not new. In a statement, the SPVM said it has previously raised concerns with past administrations and plans to reiterate the challenges officers face.
“The SPVM supports the adoption of a regulatory framework, with all appropriate safeguards and parameters, that would help address this longstanding issue,” the police force said in an email.
The Montreal Brotherhood of Police said it intends to pursue legal action against the individual behind the video, although proceedings remain in the early stages.
Union president Yves Francoeur said he has spoken with the city’s police chief and confirmed that both are aligned on the issue. He also told CityNews that he met with the mayor Tuesday morning, framing it as the launchpad for a future “brief conversation” on the topic.
Francoeur added that misogynistic insults directed at female officers appear to be on the rise, though admitted that this is mostly backed up with anecdotal evidence.
Women make up about 36 per cent of Montreal’s police force, Francoeur said, accounting for roughly 2,000 officers.
“Even if we don’t have any data on the question we can see that an increase of those totally inappropriate insulting remarks,” he said.
But as the city considers its options, legal experts warn a bylaw targeting insults could run into constitutional challenges.
Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey says police are not fundamentally different from other professions when it comes to being subject to criticism or even insults.
“People insult lawyers, people insult doctors,” he said. “Police do things, occasionally, that are worthy of a strong answer.”
Grey said that while laws already exist against obstructing police duties, regulating speech along would likely chart any bylaw on a collision course with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“If it was invalid, it would be invalid under the Charter,” Grey said.
