2 SQ officers accused in Val d'Or case say they did nothing wrong

Two of the provincial police officers suspended after they were accused of misconduct by Indigenous women from Val-d'Or, Que., have come forward publicly to deny any wrongdoing.  

Officers Simon Drouin and Émilie Langlois told the French-language television network TVA they were among the six officers suspended with pay last year after several Indigenous women told Radio-Canada they had been abused by members of the Sûreté du Québec.

Crown prosecutors announced last week they will not charge any of the suspended officers.

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In an interview broadcast Tuesday, the officers said they hope the Crown's decision will allow them to clear their names.

Langlois said she was "angry" when she saw the Radio-Canada report, claiming the incidents of abuse "never happened."

"I couldn't believe that people would believe what was in the report, and then the next day we were suspended," she said.

Drouin also flatly denied any misconduct, either physical, sexual or discriminatory.

"Native, white, any other race, I'd intervene in a professional manner," he said.

An edited version of the interview appeared on the TVA program show J.E. This interview comes after the Crown's announcement, Friday.

Drouin and Langlois were accompanied by two other SQ officers; one was their supervisor and the other an Indigenous colleague.

Officers say they were 'caught in a storm'

Drouin said the report and the suspension that followed weighed heavily on his family.

"It was a shock for my wife," he said. "We were caught in a storm, it was really hard in the days following."

It is not clear whether the SQ authorized its officers to speak to TVA. The force declined a request for comment from CBC News, as did the union that represents SQ officers.

A group of 55 SQ officers, including Drouin, are suing Radio-Canada, claiming the documentary that contained the allegations about police misconduct was biased and defamatory.

"I've always done my job in an exemplary, professional manner," said Langlois, who is not named in the suit.

The officers' supervising officer, Sgt. François Carbonneau, claimed his officers were "sacrificed for a political game."

Vigil held in Montreal

At roughly the same time the interview with the officers aired, dozens of people gathered at Montreal's Place des Arts for a candlelight vigil to express solidarity with the Indigenous women of Val-d'Or.

Earlier on Tuesday, Premier Philippe Couillard appeared to backtrack from months of opposition to an independent inquiry, saying he hadn't ruled out the idea.

Vicky Boldo, who works with the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network, said that while a national inquiry into Indigenous was welcome, a provincial inquiry was also necessary.

"Although policing is an issue nationally, these incidents need to be dealt with on a smaller scale within the province of Quebec so that we really get to have an in-depth look at systemic racism and discrimination," Boldo said.