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Mayor Plante supports candidate Will Prosper amid reports of past improper conduct as RCMP officer

Click to play video: 'Montreal mayor defends star candidate amid report of improper conduct at RCMP'
Montreal mayor defends star candidate amid report of improper conduct at RCMP
Montreal's mayor is defending her star candidate for the borough of Montreal North. As Global's Phil Carpenter explains, the move comes after a newspaper reported Will Prosper was forced to resign from RCMP amid allegations of improper conduct – Aug 20, 2021

Mayor Valérie Plante said she’s sticking by her Montreal North candidate Will Prosper amid recent revelations of past inappropriate conduct while he worked as a police officer with the RCMP 22 years ago.

Will Prosper, a community activist and candidate running for mayor of Montreal North, was thrust into the limelight Thursday following a report into his time as an officer in Manitoba.

Prosper was asked to resign by the RCMP after he was caught looking up confidential data.

“He made a mistake 22 years ago. He paid for it. He lost his job,” Plante told reporters alongside Prosper on Thursday. “How long should it take for someone to [be able] to return to [work] in public life?”
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This comes after a report by the Journal de Montréal that Prosper allegedly conducted searches on police databases on three individuals who were potential suspects in the 1999 murder of an alleged rival street gang member.

The report says the RCMP then suspected Prosper of having leaked the information. He was was later forced to resign from the force in the early 2000s.

“I made a mistake 22 years ago, [but] I never crossed a line. I never gave confidential information to anyone,” Prosper said on Thursday.

“I’m not perfect, but I don’t lie,” the Projet Montréal candidate added.

Plante reiterated that the candidate is “more than this error.” She said it’s important to note that there was no criminal case or charges against the ex-police officer.

The mayor said she wants Montrealers to look at him as whole, as a man who has dedicated his life to serving vulnerable communities.

Montrealers head to the polls Nov. 7.

— with files from Global News’ Kalina Laframboise and Phil Carpenter

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