Richard Henry Bain will serve 20 years of a life sentence before he will be eligible for parole.
Bain was convicted in August of the second-degree murder of Denis Blanchette, and of three counts of attempted murder, stemming from his attack at the Metropolis nightclub on Sept 4, 2012.
On that day Bain, furious about the election of the separatist government, and with problems in his own personal life, staked out the club where premier-designate Pauline Marois was due to give a victory speech.
He marched to the back of the building and fired one shot from a rifle before his weapon jammed. He then set fire to the building, but the flames were quickly extinguished.
That bullet killed Blanchette and grievously injured David Courage.
Bain was then arrested, and has been in custody ever since, and that time behind bars will count toward his sentence.
A murder sentence comes with an automatic sentence of 25 years, but because Bain is guilty of second-degree murder, he was eligible for parole after 10 years.
Crown prosecutor Dennis Galiatsatos argued that 25 years before parole is justified for the crime.
Bain's lawyer Alan Guttman argued for parole eligibility to be set at the 10-year minimum, adding that Bain's age and mental illness should be factored in to the judge’s ruling.
Justice Guy Cournoyer, however, disagreed, and said that "both sides are wrong" in making their recommendations.
He said that Bain tried to change the course of history with his attack, which violated the "right to vote [as a] basic and cherished entitlement."
He added "it was so factually close to a first-degree murder."
Cournoyer said "a certain amount of societal innocence was lost" when Bain pulled the trigger, and that it was only due to a quirk of fate that the number of victims was limited.
