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In reaction to the murder of George Floyd
Ensemble Montréal asks that the SPVM ban any intervention technique that can cause strangulation
Montreal, August 11, 2020 – The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman last May sparked a huge protest movement around the world, and a questioning of police intervention techniques. It is in this spirit that the elected members of Ensemble Montréal will be tabling a motion at the next City Council meeting asking that the officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) cease all intervention techniques that could lead to strangulation, or even to the death of the person concerned.
"If there is one thing we need to take away from the events that caused Mr. Floyd's death, is the need to review police intervention techniques, especially those that can lead to strangulation. This is why we are asking the SPVM to ban all these techniques from its procedures," said Mr. Francesco Miele, Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition.
Experts distinguish between two types of neck restraint techniques (in which the police officer's arms wrap around the throat of the person concerned): the respiratory neck restraint (or "chokehold") and the vascular neck restraint. The first, which threatens the respiratory tract, was also banned in 1979 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), because it was considered too dangerous. Ontario made the same decision nearly thirty years ago.
Taught by the École nationale de police du Québec, the vascular neck restraint technique, in theory, does not attack the respiratory tract since the arm's pressure is exerted on the carotid arteries in order to cause loss of consciousness. However, there is too great a risk that a police officer without adequate training or with little experience in this area will transform the neck restraint technique into a chokehold.
"Why risk committing the irreparable? These techniques are from another era. Today's police officers have a variety of devices at their disposal to subdue an individual without necessarily resorting to hand-to-hand combat. These include telescopic baton, pepper spray and tasers, to name but a few. Unless there is an extreme case where a police officer's life is in danger, I see no reason to justify, in 2020, the use of a control technique that, if poorly executed, can cause respiratory strangulation," explained Mr. Alain Babineau, a retired RCMP officer, who supports the position of Ensemble Montréal.
The Official Opposition motion also asks the Government of Québec to take the same measures to apply them within the Province's various police forces. It will be debated during the City Council meeting on August 24th.
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Montreal, February 4, 2020 - One year after the Plante administration’s refusal to deploy body-worn cameras for SPVM officers, a coalition of elected municipal representatives and community groups is returning to the table to demand the rapid implementation of body cams in the police department to effectively combat racial profiling. Ensemble Montreal will table a motion to this effect at the next Municipal Council session.
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Montréal, Wednesday, December 18th, 2019 - Lionel Perez leader of Ensemble Montréal, surrounded by the team of elected officials from Saint-Léonard announced the candidacy of Angela Gentile for the March 15 by-election in the district of Saint-Léonard-Est.
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Montreal, August 7, 2019 - The Mayor of the Borough of Saint-Laurent and spokesman for the Official Opposition on transportation matters, Mr. Alan DeSousa, today unveiled a motion asking the Québec government to commit to extending the Metro’s orange line from the Côte-Vertu station to the Bois-Franc station of the future Metropolitan Express (REM) network.
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Montréal, April 30th, 2019 – After receiving important media exposure, becoming viral on social networks and being strongly criticized by the public, the violent intervention by two inspectors from the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) at the Villa-Maria metro station on March 7 towards Juliano Gray, a young 21-year-old Montrealer, requires an independent, thorough and immediate investigation according to the Official Opposition.
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Montreal, April 4, 2019 - On behalf of Ensemble Montréal, Karine Boivin-Roy, Leader of the Official Opposition, and Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, Mayor of the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, presented a motion today asking that the City of Montreal adopt a signage system at the entrance to food establishments to inform customers of the results of food safety inspections.
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Montréal, March 18 2019 – In the light of a recent incident at the Villa-Maria metro station that saw STM inspectors repeatedly hit with their batons a young Black man lying on the station platform, a coalition of organizations today urged the City of Montreal to support demands for an independent investigation into the incident and for the ultimate creation of an independent civilian oversight body to hear complaints against transit officers.
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MONTREAL, December 3, 2018 - Following the non-renewal of an agreement between the Town of Mount Royaland the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce concerning the Glenmount sector, the Leader of Montréal's Official Opposition and City Councillor for the Darlington district, Mr. Lionel Perez, decried the uncompromising attitude of borough mayor Sue Montgomery, supported by her Projet Montréal councillors.
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Montreal, November 29, 2018 – After the public outcry caused by the Plante administration’s pilot project, Ensemble Montréal is now speaking out on behalf of all Montrealers and proposing the kind of project that everyone expected. The hastily-conceived Projet Montréal plan halted all automobile traffic between voie Camillien-Houde and Remembrance Road for months without correcting fundamental safety issues.
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Montréal, November 12th, 2018 – Ensemble Montréal will be tabling a motion at the next city council asking the Quebec government to study the relevance of including a course on the history of genocides in the Quebec curriculum. The leader of Ensemble Montréal, Lionel Perez, made the announcement this morning, accompanied by Ms. Heidi Berger, founder and president of the Foundation for Genocide Education, as well as representatives of the Rwandan and Armenian communities.
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2017-01-10 21:37:18 The 2018 Budget: More Broken Promises – “A budget that hurts both residents and businesses” Mr. Lionel Perez, Leader of the Official Opposition at Montréal City Hall, and Mr. Alan DeSousa, Vice-Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee, reacted to the first budget of the Plante-Dorais administration, remarking off the top that Mayor Plante had broken her promise not to increase taxes above inflation.
2017-11-20 21:39:06 The new Montréal Executive Committee – “the first election promise broken by Valérie Plante and Projet Montréal” The Leader of the Official Opposition at Montréal City Hall, Mr. Lionel Perez, denounced the tactics used by Projet Montréal to form the new Executive Committee after the November 5 elections.
2018-03-06 21:31:00 Closing Chemin Camillien-Houde – Mount Royal for all! Ensemble Montréal supports the grass-roots mobilization and demands the Plante administration consult Montrealers The hasty announcement of the closure of Chemin Camilien-Houde to automobile traffic on Mount Royal as part of a pilot project by the Plante administration has sparked a grass-roots mobilization across the entire Greater Montréal region.
2018-03-15 21:43:54 On the 50th anniversary of his passing, Ensemble Montréal proposes to add Martin Luther King Jr.'s name to Montréal's toponymy The Leader of the Official Opposition at Montréal City Hall, Mr. Lionel Perez, accompanied by Councillors Mary Deros, spokesperson for diversity, and Frantz Benjamin, spokesperson for democracy and citizen participation, today presented a motion to add the name of Martin Luther King Jr. to the toponymy of Montréal.
2018-04-19 21:32:45 Surplus of $139.5M in 2017 – “The City had no need to increase taxes for 2018” Reacting to the tabling of the City of Montréal’s consolidated financial statements for 2017, the Leader of Ensemble Montréal, Mr. Lionel Perez, highlighted the large surplus of $139.5M, a report that put the lie to members of Projet Montréal who had accused the previous administration of leaving “a tremendous deficit” of $358M in the aftermath of the November 2017 municipal elections.
2018-06-11 21:33:55 Parc Jeanne-Mance – Ensemble Montréal denounces the pretexts used to justify the demolition of a softball field The Leader of Ensemble Montréal, Mr. Lionel Perez, and the spokesman of the Official Opposition for sports and recreation and relations with the anglophone community, Mr Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, have strongly denounced the permanent closure and demolition without notice of the softball field located in the northern section of Parc Jeanne-Mance in the Plateau Mont-Royal borough.
2018-07-23 21:35:15 Combining sustainable development and economic growth – Ensemble Montréal favourable to a model project in the area of green technologies in Montréal’s east end The Leader of Ensemble Montréal, Mr. Lionel Perez, and the spokesman of the Official Opposition for economic development, Mr. Aref Salem, give their support to a project by Solargise, a British company in the clean energy sector that wishes to locate on the site of the current Métropolitain Anjou golf club in east-end Montréal.
2018-08-15 20:11:26 Back to school - Ensemble Montréal requests more school crossing guards to ensure the security of youth The leader of Ensemble Montréal, Mr. Lionel Perez, and the spokesperson for matters related to homelessness and youth, Mr. Benoit Langevin, have tabled a motion demanding that the City of Montreal work with the Service de police de Montréal (SPVM) to put an end to the quotas limiting the number of school crossing guards in the Montreal agglomeration.
2018-09-06 18:20:44 Ensemble Montréal wants more representatives of visible and ethnocultural minorities within paramunicipal, associate and independent organizations at the City of Montreal Montreal, September 6th, 2018 – The leader of Ensemble Montréal, Mr. Lionel Perez, the borough mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, Mr. Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, and the spokesperson for diversity, Ms. Mary Deros, introduced a motion seeking to improve the representativity of cultural diversity within the City’s paramunicipal, associate and independent organizations.
2018-11-09 11:54:09 Ensemble Montréal announces its new candidate for Rivière-des-Prairies—Pointe-aux-Trembles Montreal, November 9, 2018 - Surrounded by his party’s elected officials from Rivière-des-Prairies—Pointe-aux-Trembles, Ensemble Montreal leader, Lionel Perez announced the party’s new borough mayoral candidate, Manuel Guedes. Theo Vecera withdrew his candidacy on the advice of his doctor due to health reasons.
2018-11-12 20:36:10 A motion by Ensemble Montréal for history courses on genocides in Quebec schools Montréal, November 12th, 2018 – Ensemble Montréal will be tabling a motion at the next city council asking the Quebec government to study the relevance of including a course on the history of genocides in the Quebec curriculum. The leader of Ensemble Montréal, Lionel Perez, made the announcement this morning, accompanied by Ms. Heidi Berger, founder and president of the Foundation for Genocide Education, as well as representatives of the Rwandan and Armenian communities.
2018-11-29 16:49:39 Presentation of Ensemble Montréal’s Brief to the OCPM: A Unifying Vision for Mount Royal’s Camillien-Houde/Remembrance Thoroughfare Montreal, November 29, 2018 – After the public outcry caused by the Plante administration’s pilot project, Ensemble Montréal is now speaking out on behalf of all Montrealers and proposing the kind of project that everyone expected. The hastily-conceived Projet Montréal plan halted all automobile traffic between voie Camillien-Houde and Remembrance Road for months without correcting fundamental safety issues.
2018-12-03 19:08:54 Glenmount residents deserve the same access to local services as all other Montrealers MONTREAL, December 3, 2018 - Following the non-renewal of an agreement between the Town of Mount Royaland the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce concerning the Glenmount sector, the Leader of Montréal's Official Opposition and City Councillor for the Darlington district, Mr. Lionel Perez, decried the uncompromising attitude of borough mayor Sue Montgomery, supported by her Projet Montréal councillors.
2019-03-18 16:02:39 Black and antiracist groups join city councillors in calling for mayor Plante to set up external investigation into metro beating Montréal, March 18 2019 – In the light of a recent incident at the Villa-Maria metro station that saw STM inspectors repeatedly hit with their batons a young Black man lying on the station platform, a coalition of organizations today urged the City of Montreal to support demands for an independent investigation into the incident and for the ultimate creation of an independent civilian oversight body to hear complaints against transit officers.
2019-04-04 18:57:59 Display of food establishment inspection ratings: To avoid unpleasant surprises on your plates! Montreal, April 4, 2019 - On behalf of Ensemble Montréal, Karine Boivin-Roy, Leader of the Official Opposition, and Dimitrios (Jim) Beis, Mayor of the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro, presented a motion today asking that the City of Montreal adopt a signage system at the entrance to food establishments to inform customers of the results of food safety inspections.
2019-04-30 15:57:34 Ensemble Montréal will table a motion demanding an immediate independent inquiry into the Villa-Maria incident Montréal, April 30th, 2019 – After receiving important media exposure, becoming viral on social networks and being strongly criticized by the public, the violent intervention by two inspectors from the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) at the Villa-Maria metro station on March 7 towards Juliano Gray, a young 21-year-old Montrealer, requires an independent, thorough and immediate investigation according to the Official Opposition.
2019-08-07 15:55:04 Ensemble Montréal requests the government extend the Orange Line to the Bois-Franc REM Station Montreal, August 7, 2019 - The Mayor of the Borough of Saint-Laurent and spokesman for the Official Opposition on transportation matters, Mr. Alan DeSousa, today unveiled a motion asking the Québec government to commit to extending the Metro’s orange line from the Côte-Vertu station to the Bois-Franc station of the future Metropolitan Express (REM) network.
2019-08-12 19:59:55 ENSEMBLE MONTREAL ANNOUNCES THE CANDIDACY OF ANGELA GENTILE AS CITY COUNCILLOR FOR THE DISTRICT OF SAINT-LEONARD EAST Montréal, Wednesday, December 18th, 2019 - Lionel Perez leader of Ensemble Montréal, surrounded by the team of elected officials from Saint-Léonard announced the candidacy of Angela Gentile for the March 15 by-election in the district of Saint-Léonard-Est.
2020-02-04 16:56:12 Combatting Racial Profiling: The opposition demands the deployment of body cams within the SPVM Montreal, February 4, 2020 - One year after the Plante administration’s refusal to deploy body-worn cameras for SPVM officers, a coalition of elected municipal representatives and community groups is returning to the table to demand the rapid implementation of body cams in the police department to effectively combat racial profiling. Ensemble Montreal will table a motion to this effect at the next Municipal Council session.
2020-08-11 16:55:23 Ensemble Montréal asks that the SPVM ban any intervention technique that can cause strangulation In reaction to the murder of George Floyd
Ensemble Montréal asks that the SPVM ban any intervention technique that can cause strangulation
Montreal, August 11, 2020 – The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman last May sparked a huge protest movement around the world, and a questioning of police intervention techniques. It is in this spirit that the elected members of Ensemble Montréal will be tabling a motion at the next City Council meeting asking that the officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) cease all intervention techniques that could lead to strangulation, or even to the death of the person concerned.
"If there is one thing we need to take away from the events that caused Mr. Floyd's death, is the need to review police intervention techniques, especially those that can lead to strangulation. This is why we are asking the SPVM to ban all these techniques from its procedures," said Mr. Francesco Miele, Deputy House Leader of the Official Opposition.
Experts distinguish between two types of neck restraint techniques (in which the police officer's arms wrap around the throat of the person concerned): the respiratory neck restraint (or "chokehold") and the vascular neck restraint. The first, which threatens the respiratory tract, was also banned in 1979 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), because it was considered too dangerous. Ontario made the same decision nearly thirty years ago.
Taught by the École nationale de police du Québec, the vascular neck restraint technique, in theory, does not attack the respiratory tract since the arm's pressure is exerted on the carotid arteries in order to cause loss of consciousness. However, there is too great a risk that a police officer without adequate training or with little experience in this area will transform the neck restraint technique into a chokehold.
"Why risk committing the irreparable? These techniques are from another era. Today's police officers have a variety of devices at their disposal to subdue an individual without necessarily resorting to hand-to-hand combat. These include telescopic baton, pepper spray and tasers, to name but a few. Unless there is an extreme case where a police officer's life is in danger, I see no reason to justify, in 2020, the use of a control technique that, if poorly executed, can cause respiratory strangulation," explained Mr. Alain Babineau, a retired RCMP officer, who supports the position of Ensemble Montréal.
The Official Opposition motion also asks the Government of Québec to take the same measures to apply them within the Province's various police forces. It will be debated during the City Council meeting on August 24th.
