On May 22, 2026, our firm filed an application for authorization to institute a class action against the Attorney General of Quebec and the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec (CSN). This request seeks redress for detainees who have suffered violations of their conditions of detention or who have been detained beyond the time they should have been released, due to the illegal strike that occurred as of 20 May 2026.
Our client’s story
Our client was arrested for a breach of condition and incarcerated at the Montreal Detention Facility (Bordeaux). On May 20, 2026, a judge of the Court of Québec ordered his release during his bail hearing.
Despite this court order, our client could not be released that day. A strike called by members of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec paralyzed the province’s detention facilities. His lawyer tried several times to reach Bordeaux, but in vain.
During this period, our client was locked in his cell 24 hours a day for almost 48 hours, deprived of communication with his lawyer, deprived of several meals, deprived of daily outdoor outings, and denied access to the complaint mechanism. He was finally only able to leave Bordeaux on the evening of May 21, 2026, more than a day after his release was ordered by the court.
This illegal detention and the degraded conditions of detention he suffered caused our client symptoms of anxiety, irritability and psychological distress. He is bringing this class action to obtain compensation for himself, but also for all other inmates who have experienced a similar situation.
The proposed class action
On May 20, 2026, members of the Union of Peace Officers in Correctional Services of Quebec went on strike in several detention facilities in Quebec.
The strike was illegal under section 69 of the Civil Service Act, which specifically prohibits correctional officers from exercising their right to strike. It also violated an order issued by the Administrative Labour Tribunal on December 5, 2024, which expressly ordered union members not to stop working during their shifts in a concerted manner.
This strike led to the paralysis of activities related to detainees. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have had their human rights violated: denial of daily outdoor activities, prolonged solitary confinement in cells, denial of communication with their prosecutors, denial of access to visits, denial of medication or health care, and denial of meals. More importantly, people who had been ordered by a court, whose sentences had ended, or who had been granted conditional release, were unlawfully detained.
We hold the Attorney General of Quebec responsible for this situation. As the employer of correctional officers and responsible for the Quebec correctional system, he had an obligation to prevent this situation and to protect the fundamental rights of inmates. Despite a collective agreement that expired on April 1, 2023, and a similar illegal concerted action that occurred as early as December 3, 2024, the Attorney General of Québec did not take any effective preventive measures to prevent the recidivism of May 20, 2026, or to mitigate its consequences.
We also hold the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec (CSN) responsible for having launched a strike that it knew to be illegal, in direct violation of the order of the Administrative Labour Tribunal, and in full knowledge of the harmful consequences that this action would have on the fundamental rights of detainees, consequences that have already been judicially noted.
We are seeking compensatory damages for the harms suffered by the class members, as well as punitive damages to sanction the unlawful and intentional interference with the rights to liberty, security, integrity and dignity, protected by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
The proposed class
Group: Any person who was detained in a provincial detention facility in Quebec and who, as a result of the strike by members of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec that occurred between May 20, 2026 and the cessation of the effects of that strike, suffered a breach of their conditions of confinement or was kept in detention beyond the time they should have been released.
Subgroup A: Any person who was detained in a provincial detention facility in Quebec and who, as a result of the strike by members of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec that occurred between May 20, 2026 and the cessation of the effects of that strike, suffered a violation of their conditions of detention, including:
(a) Denial of daily outdoor activities;
(b) prolonged solitary confinement;
(c) deprivation of communication with his or her attorney;
(d) denial of access to visits;
(e) deprivation of medication or health care;
(f) deprivation of meals;
Subgroup B: Any person who was detained in a provincial detention facility in Quebec and who, as a result of the strike by members of the Syndicat des agents de la paix en services correctionnels du Québec that occurred between May 20, 2026 and the cessation of the effects of that strike, was kept in detention beyond the time when he or she should have been released, regardless of the reason for their release, including:
(a) a release order made by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(b) a consent of the prosecution to release;
(c) the end of his or her term of detention;
(d) a conditional release granted by the Commission québécoise des libérations paroles, or by any other
Competent authority
Applications lodged with the Court
Application for authorization to bring a class action
Current status of the file
Pending authorization by a judge of the Superior Court.
How to be part of the class action?
If you meet the definition of the group referred to above, you are automatically part of this class action.
We invite you to fill out the following form in complete confidentiality if you believe you are a member of the group.