Police officers in Quebec have been ordered to restrict their use of electroshock weapons in the wake of a report commissioned by the provincial government following two recent deaths in the province.

Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis announced in Quebec City Wednesday he is immediately putting in place a number of the 61 recommendations made by the task force examining the use of stun guns, commonly referred to as Tasers.

Dupuis said it is now official policy that police will only be allowed to use a stun gun when a suspect poses a serious risk to himself, a member of the public or a police officer.

If a suspect is severely agitated, police will have to call for medical assistance before using any kind of physical force, he said.

The Public Security Department committee's report recommends that police plan their interventions carefully so the stun guns are properly used, with officers doing their best to avoid striking certain areas of the body such as the face and heart with the devices.

But the report doesn't go far enough, said Montreal city Coun. Marvin Rotrand, who has long called for a complete ban on the use of stun guns.

"There are some suggestions of restraint, but there's no absolute decree saying that the Taser should not be used as a last alternative to lethal force," Rotrand told CBC News.

Marois calls for outright ban

Quebec's recommendations follow a similar report criticizing excessive stun gun use at the RCMP, which announced last week it will enforce new rules to limit the use of the devices.

Two months ago, a Polish man collapsed and died at the Vancouver airport after being shocked by a stun gun and pinned down by four RCMP officers. The incident, which was captured by a witness on video, sparked a public outcry over the officers' actions and prompted a countrywide debate on the safety of the devices.

Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois had not had a chance to study the Quebec report, but she said her party wants an outright ban on stun guns.

"Because when you are not sure, when there is a lot of risk, and we have seen there is risk, I think the best position is to stop the use of this arm," Marois said.

As with other studies released in Canada and the United States, the Quebec report doesn't directly blame stun guns for any deaths.

Government records show that police in Quebec used a Taser 81 times in 2006. There are 160 stun guns available for the 14,000 police officers working in Quebec.

With files from the Canadian Press