Liberal MP Jean Rousselle suffered assault and battery on Monday after asking two men to stop smoking cannabis in the building where his riding office is located in Laval.
Mr Rousselle intervened because there was “an incredible smell of pot” in a stairwell leading to his office. According to the MP, elected in the riding of Vimont, this type of situation has been repeated for five years, which causes inconvenience to his employees, who are regularly intimidated.
“I saw one and I said to him: ‘You don’t want to go away and quit smoking here,'” he explained in a telephone interview. Homework.
Another man he hadn’t seen then started beating him on the head. His sidekick did the same, said the deputy, who said he was struck about fifteen blows to the head and face.
For several weeks, I have been calling @GGuilbaultCAQ concerning violence in Quebec. Today I was the victim of a gratuitous attack by two young men. I am doing well despite the blows to the face I suffered. We must act to protect the population #polqc
— Jean Rousselle (@RousselleJean) March 28, 2022
“They started hitting me with their fists,” said Rousselle, official opposition public security spokesperson, adding that he also retaliated.
Ex-policeman, he was able to protect himself and resist attempts to throw him to the ground.
“My old police techniques, I haven’t lost them,” he explained.
Ongoing investigation
Eventually he managed to open the door and the two men fled, leaving him with a bruised nose that bled “profusely”.
“It stirred quite a bit,” he explained, recounting the incident, which did not last five minutes.
The Laval police moved to the scene and Mr. Rousselle, who does not know the identity of his attackers, says he has filed a complaint. He also contacted the owner of the building, whom he had already asked to fix the problem.
“It’s been going on for five years,” he said. I think the owner seems to have it figured out but it took some nagging to figure that out. »
Elected for the first time in 2012, the deputy, who did not seem too shaken by his misadventure, did not need medical treatment.
“Maybe I’ll have racoon eyes tomorrow,” he said, wondering if he’ll have black eyes during question period on Tuesday at the Blue Room.
Mr. Rousselle took advantage of this situation on Monday to challenge the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, to make her realize that the problems of violence are not limited to Montreal.
“The minister should organize so that there is money for prevention,” he said. Prevention does not solve everything overnight, but there is no money for prevention. »
The government underestimates the problems of violence in Laval, he believes.
“We think it’s fine in Montreal, they have a forum there, but in Laval too we need one, there are particularities to the situation in Laval. »
A spokesperson for the Laval police, Stéphanie Beshara, confirmed that officers moved to the location of the MP’s office in the early afternoon to take his statement about the assault.
“The suspects were smoking in the lobby of the building and the victim asked them to leave and the two youths approached the victim and gave him a few blows on the head,” she said.
Surveillance camera recordings will be reviewed to identify the suspects, the officer said.
“The suspects have fled but the investigation is ongoing,” she said.