Police budgets have been soaring across major Canadian cities over the last few years, defended by governments approving these increasing budgets as essential for protecting communities.

In Montreal, the police received a police budget increase of $35 million between last year to this year.

Metropolis host Kalden Dhatsenpa and Hello Goodbye Lines host Savanna Craig discuss the increasing police budget, the lack of accountability for over policing and police violence, as well as the similarities between the Palestine protests and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that took place in the summer of 2020.

$821 million was approved for Montreal’s police budget for 2024. This is a stark increase compared to before Montreal’s municipal government Projet Montreal took power in 2017, under leader Valérie Plante. That year the police budget was $652.1 million. This is a $168 million increase in 7 years. 

While police budgets have been increasing in Montreal since before Projet Montreal took power, this budget has continued to steadily increase under their leadership. Dhatsenpa and Craig discuss how Projet Montreal was seen as a very progressive party before taking power—and still is to some people, but discuss how policing is seen as an important tool within movements like Liberalism. 

Dhatsenpa and Craig also draw comparisons between the Black Lives Matter protests which peaked in 2020 and Palestine protests that are happening today. Together, they cite critiques over public spending, demanding accountability for officers, mass arrests and police violence to manage protests. Hear all about it in Metropolis’ latest segment of Hello Goodbye Lines.