Quebec marks 40 years since shooting at the National Assembly

Denis Lortie, the man responsible for the shooting at the Quebec National Assembly in Quebec City, arrives for his court appearance on Wednesday, May 9, 1984. (Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

Forty years ago on Wednesday, Corporal Denis Lortie burst into the National Assembly with the aim of killing Premier René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois MNAs.

Heavily armed, the man killed three people and wounded 13 others. After several hours of negotiations with Sergeant-at-Arms René Jalbert, the gunman finally agreed to surrender.

MNA Pascal Bérubé remembers the tragedy well, and draws a link with the Metropolis attack on Premier Pauline Marois in 2012.

"Twice in our history, our political party has been targeted by killers who wanted to cause a great deal of damage with a weapon,” he said.

Quebec Solidaire MNA Étienne Grandmont commemorated the victims of the 1984 attack.

"We would like to remember Camille Lepage, Georges Boyer and Roger Lefrançois who died during the events," he said.

"It was an attack on our democracy. We wanted to highlight the work of the constables who are here to ensure the smooth running of the National Assembly," said Liberal MNA Frédéric Beauchemin.