Participants in the National Council of the Parti Québécois must show their credentials this weekend. Security measures were reinforced at the request of the sovereignist group, in the face of the tense social climate and the threats towards its leader.
For the first time since the days of Pauline Marois, delegates and observers must empty their pockets and pass under a security bar before entering the event site in Drummondville.
At the time, sovereignist troops had just been targeted by an attack at Métropolis during the victory rally of the new PQ prime minister. The event left one person dead.
This time, it was the leadership of the Parti Québécois which approached the Sûreté du Québec in order to evaluate the measures to be taken. In mid-March, a 40-year-old man was arrested after making death threats against Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“You know of a certain number of events, some of which concerned me, which led us to work with the Sûreté du Québec by telling them: we want to be exemplary, we want to be in best practices, and the Sûreté du Québec , therefore, accompanied us to ensure that at all levels, our practices were those that were recommended,” explained the PQ leader.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon specifies, however, that the number of threats against him has not increased recently.
Some 500 people are expected for this national council, which concerns housing.
Tense climate
Elected officials of the National Assembly, like those of other levels of government, face increasingly worrying comments and threats.
The man arrested recently had promised to exterminate the family of Paul St-Pierre Plamondon if he did not promote “zero immigration”.
“You go […] force all immigrants of color [à] forced repatriation to their nation. Non-negotiable,” he dictated to her.
During the last electoral campaign, a major security deployment was put in place for each of the party leaders.
At the time, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also revealed that the Sûreté du Québec had suggested that he wear a bulletproof jacket during his public events.