Montreal

Val-d'Or abuse allegations: 2 aboriginal officers join investigation

Two aboriginal police officers will join the team of investigators looking into the allegations of abuse by provincial police officers in Val-d’Or, the Quebec public security ministry said Tuesday.

Montreal police head investigation into abuse allegations involving SQ officers in Val-d'Or

Eight SQ officers in Val-d'Or have been suspended since the allegations of physical assault and sexual abuse came to light in Radio-Canada's Enquête program. (Radio-Canada)

Two aboriginal police officers will join the team of investigators looking into the allegations of physical and sexual abuse by provincial police officers in Val-d'Or, Quebec Public Security Minister Pierre Moreau said Tuesday in a news release.

The Montreal police force is leading the investigation.

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL) requested that the investigation include officers from aboriginal police forces in Quebec in a meeting in the Huron-Wendat community of Wendake with Moreau and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Geoffrey Kelley on Nov. 23.

The AFNQL named two officers, Mylène Trudeau and Derek St-Cyr. The minister said they will have complete access to all the documents and evidence in the investigation.

The investigation was launched after Radio-Canada's Enquête reported in October that several aboriginal women had been physically and sexually assaulted by Sûreté du Québec officers stationed in Val-d'Or.

Val-d'Or, about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal, is located close to several Algonquin communities.