Babineau leaves City position to head Red Coalition

• By Joel Ceausu The Suburban

Alain Babineau has taken the helm of the Red Coalition on issues of racial profiling and public safety. Over the past year, the prominent advocate for minorities has lent his expertise to the city’s Office of the Commissioner for the Fight against Racism and Systemic Discrimination, and previously was an advisor to the Center for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR).
Babineau left the job at the city while publicly voicing a frustration with what he called a culture resistant to change. “I am honored to join the Red Coalition and continue my vocation to combat the practices of racial profiling wherever they may be found,” he said. “The Coalition may be a fledgling organization, but I detect amongst its members a genuine desire to tackle the issues of racism and discrimination head on.”
After 30 years in law enforcement including stints with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Canadian Military Police, Babineau retired in 2016 at the rank of Staff Sergeant after 28 years of service in the RCMP. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University, as well as degrees in criminology and conflict resolution.
In his new role, Babineau will act as spokesperson and coordinator for the Coalition on issues of racial profiling and public safety, as well as a resource person accessible to all community organizations. “Alain is a nationally recognized expert on issues of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies” said Red Coalition founder and executive director Joel DeBellefeuille. “His experience and education background speak for themselves, but his dedication to the vulnerable communities with respect to policing reforms is second to none. He will be an asset not only to the Red Coalition but also a tremendous resource for those organizations seeking changes in public safety.”
Babineau will focus his attention on four public policy issues, namely, lobbying the federal government on the Coalition’s petition for a law against racial profiling: “Before they receive federal funding budgets, police must have an action plan in place”; following up on Quebec’s omnibus Bill 18 tabled in December which touches on many aspects of police work and oversight; increasing diversity in law enforcement: “law enforcement agencies in Quebec do not represent the population that they serve”; and law enforcement response to hate crimes: “Anti-Black and anti-Semitic hate crimes by right-wing supremacist groups represent the number one threat to national security in Canada.”