Longueuil police brotherhood failed its duty to represent fired officer: judge

The Longueuil police brotherhood failed in its duty to represent a temporary police officer who was fired in February 2014, Quebec's labour tribunal has ruled.

In a decision that has been made public, the court sided with former policeman Mathieu Gagnon, who accused the Brotherhood of "forcing" him to resign and refusing to file a grievance of dismissal in his behalf.

The Tribunal administratif du travail ordered the union to pay for the legal costs of challenging the dismissal.

"This is a victory for all temporary police officers in Longueuil and all union members," Gagnon said. "The union did not respect the fundamental rights of temporary officers."

The tribunal admonished the union in its decision.

"The circumstances required the union to conduct a serious and objective investigation to determine what it could do legally to represent the interests of the plaintiff," judge Esther Plante wrote.

The brotherhood said it will appeal the decision.

"It is a ruling that has very heavy consequences for all unions in Quebec. It just changed jurisprudence significantly," said Danny Lopez, president of the brotherhood.

Gagnon said his legal fees added to about $30,000 since the beginning of the proceedings.