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In 2013, after a string of high-profile deaths of minority youths, unarmed men and mentally-ill people at the hands of police, the Quebec government was struggling to restore the public’s faith in law enforcement.

Investigation after investigation had cleared officers of wrongdoing, but public suspicion lingered. After all, it was cops investigating cops.

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In Quebec, this remains standard practice.

Here, outside police forces investigate deaths, injuries and violent incidents involving on-duty police officers. Montreal police investigate incidents involving officers in other jurisdictions. As a rule, the Sûreté du Québec investigates incidents involving officers in Montreal.

The short-lived Parti Québécois government decided that had to change. And in May of that year, 2013, the PQ proposed an independent unit with 16 investigators who would examine the actions of police officers leading to death or serious injury.