Quebec coalition calls for taser moratorium

February 7, 2008
Shuyee Lee, CJAD Radio, Montreal

A renewed call by a growing coalition for a moratorium on the use of Tasers by police. The coalition includes Amnesty International, the Quebec Black Coalition and politicians of all stripes including Montreal city councillors, the NDP, and the PQ.

They want an independent study and a public Montreal meeting on Taser use, dissatisfied with the recent RCMP review and Quebec public security report on Tasers because they were compiled mostly by police officials.

Councillor for Loyola Warren Allmand: "There are some worthwhile things that are in the report but it doesn't get to the basic problem which, (is) what is the real danger and impact of these weapons on a wide range of people."

Chantal Registre's brother Quilem was killed after police allegedly tasered him six times last October while trying to arrest him on a drunk driving charge. She says they still have no answers into his death. "On attend toujours des réponses et on n'a pas de réponses."

The coalition says politicians and police have to take a closer look at the use of Tasers in the wake of almost 20 deaths of people in Canada after being tasered by police in the past five years.