South Shore man fights watchdog over racial profiling complaint closure
Halisi Giddings says Quebec's human rights commission prematurely closed his complaint after being stopped without grounds by Longueuil police.
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A South Shore resident is calling for an investigation into Quebec's Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission (CDPDJ) after accusing the watchdog of arbitrarily closing his racial profiling complaint.
Halisi Giddings, who is Black, was stopped and fined without grounds by Longueuil police (SPAL) while driving home from a shopping centre in January 2024. He filed a discrimination complaint with the CDPDJ in March 2025, with help from the civil rights organization Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).
The CDPDJ closed Giddings' file and those of three other Black men in late April, citing a pending class action lawsuit filed by another racial profiling victim. Although individuals had until May 26 to opt out, CRARR says the premature closure denied them the chance to choose between the class action and individual complaints.
Giddings eventually opted out of the class action but has been unable to reopen his CDPDJ complaint. "The CDPDJ is making it more difficult for victims of racial profiling like me to access justice and protection," he said.
CRARR executive director Fo Niemi expressed concern: "Victims must have the option to choose between participating in a class action and retaining access to Quebec's human rights protection system."