The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) were not at all prepared for the historic election of the first woman at the head of the Quebec state in 2012, hammered Mand Virginie Dufresne-Lemire during her arguments in the civil lawsuit against the two police forces.
On the evening of September 4, 2012, the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Pauline Marois, won the election. A shooter opened fire in the performance hall of the Metropolis, in Montreal, the gathering place of the PQ troops.
Richard Henry Bain killed a stage technician, Denis Blanchette, and severely injured his colleague Dave Courage.
But several other people suffered serious psychological injuries, Ms.and Dufresne-Lemire, who is representing four survivors of the attack in a lawsuit against the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM).
Security was deficient that evening, the two police forces were not coordinated — “there was no collaboration,” she pleaded — and the planning for the protection of the scene and of Mme Marois was insufficient, denounced the lawyer. The police did not carry out an analysis to predict what could happen if Mme Marois was elected, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
Yet it was a “public, open and historic event”.
The police forces committed “unprecedented” faults, in the opinion of Mand Dufresne-Lemire.
Not to mention that there were no police at the back of the Metropolis, where Richard Henry Bain entered, she denounced. Even he said after the attack that there was no security, she pleaded.
Harmful “mistakes”
In addition, there had been threats against M.me Marois — six, including one particularly worrying — and the police have not adjusted their plans.
As a result of these “mistakes”, his clients suffered damages — they testified to drug and alcohol problems triggered by the attack, as well as distress and anxiety — for which they are each claiming $125,000 as well as than $100,000 in punitive damages. One of them became homeless, another attempted suicide. They testified to wasted years, to having lost their lives, their friends, their serenity.
Oral arguments in the trial, which began at the end of March, are due to continue on Friday.