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Sûreté du Québec constable: $57,222 to $96,901 a yearSPVM: $51,610 to $97,377 a yearSPVM, specialist constable: $102,246RCMP constable: $71,191 to $115,350 a yearRCMP corporal: up to $126,311RCMP sergeant: up to $137,677RCMP staff sergeant: up to $150,073RCMP cadet: $1,000 a weekHighway safety officer: $59,506 to $81,651 a yearMilitary police corporal: $7,606 to $8,071 a monthMilitary police captain: $8,861 to $11,712 a monthPolice officer in Quebec, median wage: $45.08 an hourSûreté du Québec constable: $57,222 to $96,901 a yearSPVM: $51,610 to $97,377 a yearSPVM, specialist constable: $102,246RCMP constable: $71,191 to $115,350 a yearRCMP corporal: up to $126,311RCMP sergeant: up to $137,677RCMP staff sergeant: up to $150,073RCMP cadet: $1,000 a weekHighway safety officer: $59,506 to $81,651 a yearMilitary police corporal: $7,606 to $8,071 a monthMilitary police captain: $8,861 to $11,712 a monthPolice officer in Quebec, median wage: $45.08 an hour

Police oversight in Quebec

Police oversight in Quebec rests on the Police Act. It sets who can become a police officer, what officers must do, and who watches over them. Three independent bodies handle it day to day: the Police Ethics Commissioner, the Administrative Tribunal of Police Ethics and the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes. This is not legal advice: only the official text of the law is authoritative.

Verified October 15, 2026.

Who does what

BodyIts roleOur article
Police Ethics CommissionerReceives and reviews complaints and reports about police officers, investigates, and cites officers before the Tribunal.Police ethics
Administrative Tribunal of Police EthicsRules on the Commissioner's citations and imposes penalties. It issued 125 decisions in 2024-2025.Police ethics
Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI)Investigates when a person dies, is seriously injured or is injured by a firearm during a police intervention or while in detention.The BEI
Minister of Public SecurityAdministers the Act (section 356), inspects police forces (section 268) and may investigate any of them (section 279).The Police Act

The law

Quebec's Police Act (chapter P-13.1) creates the École nationale de police (section 7), makes the Sûreté du Québec the province-wide police force (section 50), and divides police services into six levels based on population (section 70). It also sets the four requirements to become a police officer (section 115) and the activities that are incompatible with the job (section 117). Our article the Police Act explained goes through it title by title.

Police ethics

The Code of ethics of Québec police officers sets an officer's duties toward the public. The Commissioner received 2,734 complaints in 2024-2025, or 228 a month on average, and ordered 196 investigations that year. The Commissioner has 40 days to review a complaint (section 149). The Tribunal can impose penalties up to a suspension of no more than 60 working days or dismissal (section 234). Details are in our article on police ethics.

Independent investigations

The BEI began operating on June 27, 2016. In 2024-2025, it opened 64 independent investigations and took on 54 investigations into allegations of criminal offences. It had 39 investigators: 19 had been peace officers before and 20 never had. It sends its reports to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, who decides whether charges are warranted. See our article on the BEI.

Criminal record checks

Section 115 of the Act requires that a police officer has never been found guilty of an offence under the Criminal Code. The same checks are available to everyone: at the Sûreté du Québec, a check for paid passenger transportation costs $84.25 since January 1, 2026, and the RCMP charges a $25 federal fee for a fingerprint-based check. It is all in our article on criminal record checks.

Frequently asked questions

Who oversees the police in Quebec?

Three independent bodies: the Police Ethics Commissioner, who receives complaints, the Administrative Tribunal of Police Ethics, which rules and imposes penalties, and the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, which investigates deaths and serious injuries during interventions. The Minister of Public Security also inspects police forces.

Where can you file a complaint against a police officer?

With the Police Ethics Commissioner, within one year of the event or of learning about it (section 150 of the Police Act). A criminal complaint, on the other hand, is filed with a police force.

Can a police officer be dismissed?

Yes. Dismissal is one of the penalties the Tribunal can impose (section 234). Section 119 also provides for the dismissal of an officer found guilty of certain criminal offences.

Sources