Hidden for almost 10 years by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the only investigation report on the Metropolis attack was finally made public on Thursday thanks to the intervention of a judge, to the chagrin of the Attorney General of Quebec. This report, with conclusions dictated in advance by the general staff, hardly criticizes the provincial police.
Posted at 8:16 p.m.
“Better planning”, “real-time communications” and “more effective coordination with its partners”: these are essentially the conclusions of this barely eight-page executive report aimed at shedding light on the “political attack” targeting Pauline Marois, the evening of her election victory, September 4, 2012. Technician Denis Blanchette was killed, while Dave Courage was seriously injured by Richard Henry Bain behind the Metropolis.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
Mand Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, insisted that the SQ investigation report be filed as evidence.
This report never revealed to the public, the SQ has fought tooth and nail in recent weeks to keep it secret. The SQ even at first “denied” its existence, was indignant Mand Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, the plaintiffs’ lawyer who insisted that the document be entered into evidence at trial. However, it is not “relevant” to the trial according to Mr.and Julien Bernard, counsel for the Attorney General of Quebec.
But on Thursday afternoon, Judge Philippe Bélanger of the Superior Court authorized its filing as evidence in the civil lawsuit brought against the SQ and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) by four survivors of the attack. . Traumatized, they demanded $600,000 from the police because of poor security.
Large parts of this unsigned report had already been cited by witnesses during the trial, but its full contents were still concealed from the public.
The author of the report, Captain Louis Bergeron, admitted in court to having written it without having met any witnesses, after having received his mandate.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
Louis Bergeron, former captain of the Sûreté du Québec, at the Montreal courthouse
In fact, the police officer had to analyze the work of his own service, the Directorate for the Protection of Persons and Infrastructures. Moreover, his boss at the time, Denis Rioux, confessed before the judge to having had the conclusions of the report dictated to him by a deputy director general of the SQ. “The warrant seemed to telegraph the conclusions,” raised the judge.
“Low” Threat
the Executive Report on the Parti Québécois Election Evening at the Metropolis of September 4, 2012 indicates that the threat to the sovereignist party was considered “low” during the elections. The SQ’s intelligence service had not received any information “leading to the belief that acts of disruption could be taken” on polling night.
That said, the report mentions six threats made against Pauline Marois “between 4:38 p.m. and 8:32 p.m. following the partial disclosure of the election results”. These threats, the nature of which is not specified, were examined “promptly”, one can read. No witness in the trial, even the head of the intelligence service, had any knowledge of these threats before the attack.
“However, the Command Post Chief did not have an informed situation report on the status of these threats in real time,” the report concludes. Thus, among the five “organizational adjustments”, it is suggested to establish “communication channels” to enable those in charge of the operation to be aware of all the threats on the day of the event.
The report also scratches the SPVM in passing. Indeed, it is stated that the SPVM “refused that the Sûreté carry out a needs assessment. [Il a] preferred to retain the latitude to assess external needs and allocate resources according to [son] evaluation only”.
But ten years later, Louis Bergeron flatly denied the use of the word “refuse” in his report, telling the judge that he did not know why he had used that term. Surprisingly, the ex-captain of the SQ could not certify having written every line of the report.
“I recognize some of my words, some of my sentences. Are all my exact words? I cannot give that answer,” he confessed at the start of the trial.
The report also concludes that Richard Henry Bain had the “identical lone wolf profile”. “It is clear that he was targeting the sovereignist cause and the Parti Québécois, [constituant] thus a political attack”, we conclude.
The trial continues Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse.