2024-03-15 20:25:36
A man in his forties was arrested on March 8 after making death threats against the leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
Questioned on this subject Friday during an impromptu press briefing, Mr. Plamondon confirmed the information which was first revealed in the Journal of Montréal.
Visibly upset, since the threats targeted him and his family, Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon specified that four days passed between the moment he received the death threats and the arrest of a suspect.
It’s my private sphere, but all that is [déjà] public, I confirm it, he concluded.
The man in question sent an email to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon making racist remarks, particularly in relation to the party’s position on immigration. He also threatened to exterminate the party leader’s family.
A complaint was formally filed with the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) on March 4, which proceeded with the arrest of the suspect on March 8 as well as a search of computer equipment.
The man in question has since been released with a promise to appear in court. He has several conditions to meet before his trial scheduled for June.
The leader of the PQ confirmed Friday that the investigation is still ongoing. The file was also transferred to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP).
Vincent Marissal, solidarity MP for Rosemont, who was also present at the press briefing, showed his support for the leader of the PQ. He considered it important to send a message to the population to denounce the increasing violence suffered by elected officials at all levels of government.
We cannot, in a democracy, present ourselves to represent the world when we have the impression that we have a target painted on our back. There are plenty of ways to express discontent in society; violence and death threats are not part of it.
The Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, for his part, believes that no one should be the victim of intimidation or be the target of threats in 2024. The SQ is leading the investigation and has our full confidence.
Threats on the rise among elected officials
These are not the first threats against elected officials. Marwah Rizqy, Liberal MP in Saint-Laurent, was the subject of death threats while she was pregnant during the 2022 election campaign.
She therefore wanted to show her support for the leader of the Parti Québécois. I have a very sincere thought for the leader of the Parti Québécois and his family, a rather troubling time for them. No elected official should go through this type of moment. I have a special thought for his partner and their three children. And, dear Paul, Greg [Kelley] and I am with you.
The marked increase in threats made against elected officials during the 2022 electoral campaign had prompted the SQ to deploy a more imposing system around party leaders and their campaign caravans. PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said in August 2022 that he had to try on bulletproof jackets.
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For her part, Catherine Fournier, mayor of Longueuil, was placed under police protection in November 2023 after receiving death threats in connection with the decision of the City of Longueuil to cull overpopulated white-tailed deer in the Michel-Chartrand park.
To believe that this is a new reality within the political world, we are seeing more and more people leaving because of the toxic climate. We can think in particular of the recent resignation of the mayor of Gatineau, France Bélisle. These departures reflect a sad reality, according to the resigning mayor, since hundreds of departures of elected officials generate so little substantive questioning.
With information from The Canadian Press, Jacaudrey Charbonneau and Alexis Tremblay
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