Becoming a special constable in Quebec: role, requirements and salary
A peace officer in a courthouse, at the National Assembly or in the metro. What the law says, the requirements, the paid training and the salary.
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A special constable is a peace officer whose powers stop at a specific place or mandate: a courthouse, the National Assembly, the Montréal metro. For a security guard, it is the next step up. The work is similar, but with real powers, a public employer and paid training. A high school diploma is enough to get into the courthouses.
The special constable according to the law
The Police Act devotes a few sections to the role.
- Mission: maintain peace, order and public security, prevent and repress crime and, depending on the deed of appointment, offences against laws or municipal by-laws (s. 105)
- Status: peace officer, within the limits set out in the deed of appointment (s. 106)
- Appointment: by the Minister. The deed specifies the powers, the conditions for exercising them, the territory and the term of the appointment. The constable takes an oath before a judge (s. 107)
- Identification: the constable wears a badge and carries the deed of appointment or an identification document, and shows it on request (s. 111)
A municipality may also authorize its mayor to appoint special constables in an emergency, for no more than seven days, or for no more than four months under a by-law approved by the Minister (s. 108).
Security guard, special constable, police officer
| Security guard | Special constable | Police officer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Ordinary citizen | Peace officer, within the limits of the deed of appointment | Peace officer |
| Authorization | Licence from the Bureau de la sécurité privée | Deed of appointment from the Minister, and an oath | Hiring by a police force, and an oath |
| Territory | The client's premises | The one set by the deed of appointment | That of the police force |
| Training | 70 hours | A program of the École nationale de police du Québec, specific to the employer | Police technology, then the École nationale de police du Québec |
The security guard has only the powers of any citizen. They are explained in our article on citizen's arrest.
Where special constables work
Courthouses
This is the largest group. The Direction de la sécurité dans les palais de justice has about 400 special constables, in every courthouse in Quebec and at the itinerant court. The employer is the Ministère de la Sécurité intérieure, which job documents still call the Ministère de la Sécurité publique.
According to the department's leaflet, dated March 2026, the special constable:
- maintains peace, order and security through prevention, control, surveillance, escort and guard duties
- makes arrests and removes people from the premises
- carries out and coordinates evacuations
- acts as a first responder and gives first aid
The leaflet specifies that the person holding the job must be armed.
The National Assembly
The National Assembly hires its own special constables. Its job posting describes surveillance, escort, guard duties, access management, response to emergency calls and screening of mail and goods. Security is provided 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with atypical schedules.
The Montréal metro and buses
Since 2021, the inspectors of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) have been trained and sworn in as special constables. The STM has 164 of them, patrolling the metro and bus networks day and night.
According to the STM, they can arrest the perpetrator of an assault or another criminal act and hand the person over to police, intervene with a person in crisis and ticket vehicles blocking a reserved lane. They do not carry firearms: their equipment is a telescopic baton, for defensive use. They come under the authority of the Commissaire à la déontologie policière, the police ethics commissioner.
Becoming a special constable in a courthouse
The requirements
- Hold a high school diploma
- Have Canadian citizenship
- Pass a medical examination
- Be of good moral character and meet the requirements of the security investigation by the Sûreté du Québec
- Pass the qualifying training of the École nationale de police du Québec
No police technology diploma is required.
The selection process
The department describes it in seven steps.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Registration for the selection process |
| 2 | Review of the application |
| 3 | Online examination |
| 4 | Interview |
| 5 | Essential physical abilities test (TAPE) |
| 6 | Security investigation and full medical tests |
| 7 | Training |
The training
The qualifying training lasts nine weeks, at the École nationale de police du Québec, in Nicolet. It is paid at minimum wage. Meals and lodging are included, and lodging is mandatory from Monday to Friday. One week of training in a courthouse follows.
Salary and conditions
The March 2026 leaflet gives a scale of $49,070 to $67,270 a year, for 40 hours a week. The exact salary is set after the training. The job page on Québec.ca still shows the old scale, $46,190 to $63,305 as of April 1, 2022.
- Day work, 40 hours a week, on starting
- Possible premiums depending on the situation: retention and job stability, work organization, evening, tasks related to the custody of detainees
- 20 days of vacation after the first year
- Government pension plan (RREGOP) and group insurance
- Uniform supplied
For comparison: the minimum rate for a Class A security guard is $20.60 an hour under the Decree, or about $42,850 a year at 40 hours a week.
Outside the courthouses
- National Assembly. The posting requires a high school diploma, Canadian citizenship and, already completed, the basic training program for special constables or the basic training program in police patrolling of the École nationale de police du Québec. The job offered is casual
- STM. The corporation hires its own constables. The path includes training from the École nationale de police du Québec lasting 13 to 14 weeks depending on the source, a security investigation and an oath before a judge of the Court of Québec. The requirements of the position are in the job posting, when the STM publishes one
The STM job posting, consulted in October 2026, gives these hourly rates.
| When | Hourly rate | Per year, at 40 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| On hiring | $31.16 | About $64,800 |
| After 12 months | $32.35 | About $67,300 |
| After 6 years of seniority | $43.55 | About $90,600 |
The annual amounts are our calculation: the hourly rate multiplied by 40 hours and by 52 weeks. The actual schedule depends on the collective agreement.
What your security guard experience is worth
The security guard licence gives no direct access to the position. Your experience counts elsewhere: in the review of the application and at the interview. Access control, screening, reports, handling agitated people, first aid: these are the tasks the postings describe.
Three conditions can be prepared in advance:
- Physical fitness. The essential physical abilities test is a step in the selection process
- Background. The department requires good moral character and a security investigation by the Sûreté du Québec
- Availability. The training is given in Nicolet, in residence from Monday to Friday for nine weeks
Another path in the public service: becoming a correctional officer.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a special constable?
A peace officer appointed by the Minister for a specific mandate. The deed of appointment sets the powers, the territory and the term of the appointment, under sections 106 and 107 of the Police Act.
What is the difference between a special constable and a police officer?
Both are peace officers. The police officer is a member of a police force and exercises powers throughout that force's territory. The special constable exercises powers only within the limits of the deed of appointment: a courthouse, the National Assembly or the STM network, for example.
What is the salary of a special constable in Quebec?
In the courthouses, the department announces a scale of $49,070 to $67,270 a year for 40 hours a week, in its March 2026 leaflet. Premiums may be added depending on the situation.
What is the salary of an STM special constable?
According to the STM job posting consulted in October 2026, the rate is $31.16 an hour on hiring, $32.35 after 12 months and can reach $43.55 after 6 years of seniority. At 40 hours a week, that comes to about $64,800 a year at the start and about $90,600 at the top.
How do you become a special constable?
For the courthouses, you need a high school diploma and Canadian citizenship. You register for the department's selection process, which includes an online examination, an interview, a physical abilities test, a security investigation and medical tests. Successful candidates take nine weeks of training at the École nationale de police du Québec.
Is a special constable armed?
It depends on the employer. In the courthouses, the department writes that the person holding the job must be armed. At the STM, special constables do not carry firearms.
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Sources
- LégisQuébec: Police Act, ss. 105 to 108 and 111
- Gouvernement du Québec: "Constable spécial" leaflet, Direction de la sécurité dans les palais de justice, March 2026 (in French)
- Québec.ca: Constable spéciale ou constable spécial (in French)
- École nationale de police du Québec: Sécurité des édifices gouvernementaux et Assemblée nationale (in French)
- National Assembly of Québec: special constable job posting (in French)
- STM: Special constables
- STM: special constable job posting, consulted in October 2026 (in French)
- École nationale de police du Québec: STM program, Sûreté et contrôle (in French)
- LégisQuébec: Decree respecting security guards, s. 4.07
