Forty years ago today, Corporal Denis Lortie burst into the National Assembly with the aim of killing Prime Minister René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois deputies.
Heavily armed, the man killed three people and injured 13. After several hours of negotiations with Sergeant-at-Arms René Jalbert, the shooter finally agreed to surrender.
MP Pascal Bérubé remembers this tragedy well and makes a link with the Métropolis attack against Prime Minister Pauline Marois in 2012.
“Twice in our history, our political party has been targeted by killers who wanted to cause enormous damage with a weapon,” he said.
The solidarity deputy Étienne Grandmont wanted to commemorate the memory of the victims who fell under the bullets. “We would like to remember Camille Lepage, Georges Boyer and Roger Lefrançois who died during the events,” he said.
“It was an attack on our democracy. We wanted to highlight the work of the constables who are here to ensure the proper functioning of the National Assembly,” said Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin.
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