Québec Security Guard (BSP) study guide: key rules on all 9 topics

Free Québec Security Guard (BSP) study guide: 84 key points from the Formations requises — gardiennage (Bureau de la sécurité privée) in plain words, organised by topic, each topic linked to its practice questions.

By the Canada Exam Prep Editorial Team · Updated October 17, 2026

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This study guide collects our notes on every topic of the Québec Security Guard Licence (BSP) — Guarding Training Exam on one page: 84 short points in our own words, grouped by topic and by handbook section. Read it from top to bottom before your first practice test, or jump to a topic from the list below.

Each topic ends with a link to its practice questions, so you can check what you just read straight away, and a link to the official chapter for the full wording. The notes summarise the Formations requises — gardiennage (Bureau de la sécurité privée) from the Bureau de la sécurité privée (BSP); they do not replace it, and where our notes and the official source differ, the official source wins.

Study these notes as flashcards →

Private Security Act and the agent licence

The six private security activities, who is exempt, why an agent is never a peace officer, who needs an agent licence (including the immediate supervisor), the conditions (age 18, good character, no related conviction, training), the five-year licence, temporary licences, incompatible jobs, notices to the BSP and the public register.

Practise Private Security Act and the agent licence questions Flashcards Official chapter

Scope

Six private security activities: guarding, investigation, locksmithing, electronic security systems, transporting valuables and security consulting.
Guarding is the surveillance or protection of persons, property or places, mainly to prevent crime and maintain order.
The Act does not apply to peace officers, members of professional orders practising their profession, people seeking information for media, scientific or hiring purposes, or volunteers, among others.
Nothing in the Act gives an agent licence holder peace officer status (s. 3).

Required licences

A business offering a private security activity needs an agency licence of the relevant class.
The person carrying on the activity and their immediate supervisor both need an agent licence of the matching class.
In-house exception: working exclusively for an employer whose business is not private security, a licence is needed only if it is the person's main activity.
BSP: a sole proprietor needs both an agent licence and an agency licence.

Conditions and term

Conditions: required training; good character (bonnes mœurs); no conviction for a Criminal Code offence connected with the activity unless pardoned; age 18 or older.
BSP: Canadian citizenship, permanent residence or a valid work permit; physical and mental fitness (medical certificate only if the BSP asks).
Refusal possible if, in the previous five years, a licence was refused, suspended or revoked.
Agent licence term: five years; temporary licence: up to 120 days in cases set by regulation.

Obligations

Pay annual fees; unpaid fees lead to suspension, then revocation.
Notify the BSP without delay of any change that may affect validity (criminal charge, job with a police force, expired work permit).
No incompatible employment, notably any job with a police force.
Notify the BSP in writing before ceasing activities; the Sûreté du Québec checks records and character at application and at any time.

Decisions and register

Grounds to suspend, revoke or refuse renewal include unmet conditions, unpaid fees, incompatible employment, an offence under the Act and breach of the standards of conduct; revocation is mandatory for a related criminal conviction or loss of good character.
Written notice and at least 10 days to submit observations (except emergencies); reasons given; employer informed.
Return the licence within 15 days of revocation or non-renewal; appeal to the Tribunal administratif du Québec.
Update register information (employer, name) within 30 days; the register is public.

Required training and temporary permits

The 70-hour guarding course and its three modules, school service centres, work-study temporary permits, equivalence reviews, the CNESST first aid requirement, licences from other provinces, and the rules for temporary permit holders.

Practise Required training and temporary permits questions Flashcards Official chapter

Required training (guarding)

At least 70 hours of courses at a school service centre or school board offering the private security guarding program; a training certificate is issued.
Three modules: Environment, role, legislation and standards of conduct (30 h); Emergency procedures (24 h); CNESST-recognized workplace first aid (16 h).
The minister may recognize other training on the BSP's recommendation (Act s. 112.1).
Work-study: a 120-day temporary guarding permit, granted only once, with supervision at all times by a regular licence holder.
Equivalence: the BSP weighs diplomas, course content and results, placements and the nature and length of experience; a résumé is not proof, employer attestations are needed; 16 h CNESST first aid is required for guarding.

FAQ and temporary permits

A licence from another province is not enough to work in Québec; it may exempt from training, but equivalent first aid proof is always required for guarding.
You may apply while job hunting; the licence stays valid if you leave a job, but new employers must be reported.
Photo: colour passport format, taken within six months, white background, head uncovered.
Temporary permit holders stay with the employer named, under supervision of a regular holder of the same class, and work only for the permit's purpose; age 18 except for a training placement.
Temporary permits cover training, special investigation needs, special events, labour disputes, disasters and pandemics.

Standards of conduct for agents

The nine standards of the conduct regulation: preserving trust, no offensive or discriminatory language, no alcohol or drugs, showing the licence, no abuse of authority or unlawful detention, cooperating with police and the BSP, competence and honesty about one's powers, no conflicts of interest, confidentiality and careful use of firearms.

Practise Standards of conduct for agents questions Flashcards Official chapter

Regulation respecting standards of conduct of agent licence holders (CQLR c. S-3.5, r. 3)

s. 1: preserve the trust the functions require; no obscene, blasphemous or offensive language; no injurious acts or words based on race, colour, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age, religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition or handicap; no disrespect or impoliteness; no alcohol, drugs or substances that impair faculties.
s. 2: present the licence when asked to identify oneself (unless the register entry is confidential).
s. 3: no abuse of authority; no more force than necessary; no threats, intimidation or harassment; no knowingly false accusation; no detention of a person not under arrest.
s. 4: give reasonable help to the BSP and peace officers; do not obstruct justice; do not conceal or withhold evidence or information to benefit or harm anyone.
s. 5: do not work with or for an unlicensed security enterprise.
s. 6: competence and professionalism; no negligence; never claim the authority, status or powers of a peace officer; never claim training or experience one lacks; never work outside one's licence class.
s. 7: dignity, loyalty, no conflict of interest; no fraud; no money or advantage beyond what is allocated; no undue favours.
s. 8: discretion and confidentiality; do not use information for oneself or a third party.
s. 9: a holder authorized to carry a firearm uses it with caution and judgment; never shows, handles or points it without justification.

Private Security Act ss. 30, 118

Breaching the standards can lead to suspension, revocation or refusal to renew.
Anyone who, by order, directive or policy, leads an agent to breach a standard commits an offence ($500 to $5,000).

The BSP, inspections, complaints and fines

The Bureau de la sécurité privée's mission and board, inspectors' powers, complaints and how they are handled, the public register, and the fines in the Private Security Act, including doubling for repeat offences.

Practise The BSP, inspections, complaints and fines questions Flashcards Official chapter

The Bureau

The Bureau de la sécurité privée (BSP) protects the public: applies the Act, issues licences, handles complaints, trains agency representatives.
Board of 11 members: four appointed by the minister (one from policing), seven by private security associations.

Inspections and complaints

Inspectors may enter at reasonable hours where private security is carried on, take photographs and require information and documents; they show their certificate on request.
If a complaint suggests a criminal offence, the BSP sends it to police without delay.
The investigations and inspections branch handles complaints; penal matters go to the Bureau des infractions et amendes; conduct breaches go to the BSP's legal affairs branch for administrative sanctions.
The public register shows whether a licence is valid; anyone may file a complaint.

Fines

Unlicensed agency: $500–$5,000. Working without an agent licence: $150–$1,500 (plus $300–$3,000 if suspended or revoked). Employing an unlicensed agent: $500–$5,000.
Failing to notify, incompatible employment, not returning the licence, not updating the register: $250–$2,500.
Obstructing an inspector: $500–$5,000. Helping or inducing an offence: same penalty. Repeat offences: minimums and maximums doubled.

Arrest powers and the rights of arrested persons

A citizen's arrest under Criminal Code section 494, the owner's-agent power, delivering the person to police at once, giving the reason, breach of the peace, and the Québec Charter rights of an arrested person: humane treatment, reasons in a language they understand, and calling relatives and a lawyer.

Practise Arrest powers and the rights of arrested persons questions Flashcards Official chapter

Private Security Act s. 3; Conduct Regulation s. 6

An agent is not a peace officer and must not claim those powers; they have a citizen's arrest powers.

Criminal Code s. 494

Anyone may arrest without warrant a person found committing an indictable offence, or a person believed on reasonable grounds to have committed a criminal offence who is escaping and freshly pursued by people with authority to arrest.
The owner, a lawful possessor, or someone they authorize may arrest a person found committing a criminal offence on or in relation to the property, at the time or within a reasonable time if a peace officer cannot feasibly do so.
A private arrester must deliver the person forthwith to a peace officer, and is "authorized by law" for s. 25.

Criminal Code ss. 29, 30

Give the reason for the arrest where feasible; failing to do so does not by itself remove protection.
A witness to a breach of the peace may intervene and detain a participant for police with reasonable force.

Québec Charter of human rights and freedoms ss. 24, 25, 28, 29

No deprivation of liberty except on grounds provided by law and by prescribed procedure.
Arrested persons are treated with humanity and respect, told the reasons promptly in a language they understand, and may without delay notify relatives and get a lawyer.

Handover to police (practice)

The agent gives police a factual account: exact time and place, descriptions, what they personally saw, vehicle details; they may later testify.

Use of force and self-defence

Criminal Code sections 25 to 27, 34 and 35 on necessary force, deadly force, excess, preventing offences, defence of person and defence of property, together with the conduct regulation's ban on excessive force, threats and intimidation.

Practise Use of force and self-defence questions Flashcards Official chapter

Criminal Code ss. 25–27

Necessary force on reasonable grounds for a person authorized by law, including a private arrester; deadly force only to prevent death or grievous bodily harm; criminal responsibility for any excess; reasonable force to prevent an arrestable offence likely to cause immediate serious injury.

Criminal Code ss. 34, 35

Self-defence: reasonable belief in force or a threat against oneself or another, act to defend, act reasonable in the circumstances; factors include other available means, size, age, capabilities and proportionality.
Defence of property: peaceable possession (or acting for the possessor), act to prevent entry or taking or to remove the person, reasonable in the circumstances.

Conduct Regulation s. 3; Québec Charter s. 1

No more force than necessary; no threats, intimidation or harassment; every person has the right to personal security and inviolability.

Québec Charter rights, privacy and discrimination

Dignity, privacy, property, the home and protection from unreasonable searches under the Québec Charter, which also binds private security; the prohibited grounds of discrimination, harassment and refusing services to the public; and confidentiality.

Practise Québec Charter rights, privacy and discrimination questions Flashcards Official chapter

Québec Charter of human rights and freedoms

s. 4 dignity, honour and reputation; s. 5 private life; s. 6 peaceful enjoyment and free disposition of property; s. 7 the home is inviolable; s. 8 no entry or taking without express or implied consent; s. 24.1 no unreasonable search or seizure.
The Québec Charter also applies between private persons, including private security.
s. 10 prohibited grounds: race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age (except as provided by law), religion, political convictions, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, handicap or means to palliate it; s. 10.1 no harassment on those grounds; s. 12 no discriminatory refusal of goods or services offered to the public.

Conduct Regulation ss. 1, 4, 8

No injurious words or acts on those grounds; do not conceal information to harm or benefit someone; discretion and confidentiality.

Practice that follows from these rules

An agent has no general power to search; searches rest on genuine consent or a lawful condition; forcing a search can breach s. 24.1 and the ban on abuse of authority.

Communication, de-escalation and fights

Warning signs of violence, verbal and non-verbal de-escalation, ending a hostile exchange, responding to fights and crowds, reporting incidents, and the respect the conduct regulation requires.

Practise Communication, de-escalation and fights questions Flashcards Official chapter

Warning signs and negative interactions

No single sign predicts violence; read signs in context and watch for escalation (flushed or pale face, pacing, clenched fists or jaw, loud voice, rapid breathing, staring, invading personal space).
Listen without interrupting, stay calm, speak slowly, use silence, ask open questions; do not say "calm down"; restate; be honest; offer choices and small steps such as moving somewhere quieter.
Relaxed posture, about one metre of space, angled stance, match a seated person's level; avoid hands on hips, pointing, folded arms and staring.
Set ground rules and explain consequences calmly; do not take sides or bargain with a threatening person; postpone sanctions until backup arrives.
End an abusive exchange politely but firmly; do not go back alone to a person who may be a threat; call police; write an incident report and inform a supervisor.

Fights

Avoid injury first; do not step in without training; call police at once if any weapon is involved; move bystanders back and send an audience away with directions; give calm, firm, specific instructions; refer to policy, not personal authority.

Conduct Regulation ss. 1, 3

Respect and politeness; no offensive language, threats or intimidation.

Emergency procedures and fire extinguishers

Fire classes A, B, C, D and K, the EVAB (PASS) method, when never to fight a fire, where to stand, extinguisher inspection, evacuation, head counts, the emergency co-ordinator, chain of command and drills.

Practise Emergency procedures and fire extinguishers questions Flashcards Official chapter

Fire extinguishers (French: CCHST, "EVAB")

Class A ordinary combustibles; Class B flammable liquids, gases, oils, paints and lacquers; Class C energized electrical equipment; Class D combustible metals; Class K cooking oils and fats.
PASS / EVAB: pull the pin, aim at the base, squeeze the handle, sweep until fully out.
Never fight a fire if you do not know what is burning, which extinguisher to use or how, if it spreads beyond its starting point, or if instinct says no: sound the alarm, evacuate, call the fire department.
Water extinguishers are for Class A only; stand between the fire and the exit; watch for re-ignition.
Portable extinguishers inspected at least monthly; serviced yearly.

Emergency planning

Technological and natural emergencies; one can trigger another.
Known, clear evacuation routes and alternate exits; assembly points and head counts; one evacuation signal; helpers for people who need assistance.
An emergency co-ordinator and back-ups activate the plan, order evacuation and sound the all-clear; current contact lists; chain of command agreed with fire, police and ambulance.
Drills; review after each drill or real emergency and at least yearly.

Written in our own words from: Formations requises — gardiennage (Bureau de la sécurité privée)

FAQ

Québec Security Guard (BSP) study guide: common questions

What is the best way to use this Québec Security Guard (BSP) study guide?

Read one topic, then answer that topic's practice questions while the rules are fresh. Note the questions you miss, re-read those notes, and finish with a full practice test across all 9 topics.

Is this the official Québec Security Guard (BSP) handbook?

No. It is our own summary of the Formations requises — gardiennage (Bureau de la sécurité privée). Use it to review, and use the official handbook when you need the exact wording of a rule.

Can I print the study guide?

Yes, with your browser's print command. For practice questions on paper with an answer key, use our printable questions and answers page instead.