Two SQ officers found guilty of racial profiling Black Mascouche driver
A provincial tribunal ruled Sgt. Simon Deveault-Bonenfant and officer François Bleau-Goulet discriminated based on skin colour during a 2020 traffic stop.
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A Quebec tribunal has found two Sûreté du Québec officers guilty of racial profiling in a 2020 traffic stop that left Leslie Blot feeling "less than nothing."
Justice Isabelle Côté ruled on June 5 that Sgt. Simon Deveault-Bonenfant and officer François Bleau-Goulet discriminated against Blot based on the colour of his skin when they pulled him over in Mascouche on Dec. 4, 2020. The tribunal concluded that "virtually all circumstances surrounding the stop pointed to racial profiling." Blot's race and the fact that he was driving a luxury vehicle were factors in how he was treated, the decision found.
Blot had just left his mother's grave and was driving home when the officers stopped him. Within minutes, one demanded to see inside his backpack, claiming he suspected it contained drugs. The backpack held a candle, incense and holy water in a container shaped like the Virgin Mary—items Blot had brought from the cemetery.
A phone recording Blot made proved crucial. In the video, officers told Blot they wanted to verify his licence, then later cited concerns his vehicle could be stolen, that he had a criminal record, and that "some of them look white"—referring to bags in his car. As Blot searched for his licence, realizing he'd left it in another jacket, officers called him a "drama queen" and mocked him as the "national victim of the century" after he accused them of racial profiling. He was fined for not having winter tires and his vehicle was towed.
The tribunal found the search was illegal and abusive, and that the officers' explanations for the stop could not reasonably account for the intervention.
Blot says he has experienced racial profiling since he was 16 and views this case as part of a larger problem in Quebec policing. He points to other high-profile cases, including a Station 39 controversy where 16 Montreal officers are under investigation for allegedly cutting and collecting dreadlocks as "trophies" during street checks, and the death of Noorani Rezayi in a police shooting.
What disciplinary action will the SQ take against the two officers?
Are there other complaints or findings against Deveault-Bonenfant or Bleau-Goulet in their service records?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Who were the officers found guilty of racial profiling?
Sgt. Simon Deveault-Bonenfant and officer François Bleau-Goulet of the Sûreté du Québec were found guilty of racial profiling on June 5, 2026.
When did the traffic stop occur?
The traffic stop in Mascouche occurred on December 4, 2020.
What did the officers claim to find during the search?
The officers demanded to search Leslie Blot's backpack, claiming to suspect it contained drugs, but it held only a candle, incense, and holy water in a container shaped like the Virgin Mary that Blot had brought from a cemetery.
What evidence proved crucial to the case?
A phone recording Blot made during the stop was crucial; the video captured the officers' various explanations for the stop and their mocking comments after Blot accused them of racial profiling.
