Denis Lortie (born March 10, 1959) is a former
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
corporal
Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...
. In 1984, he stormed into the
Parliament Building in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
and opened fire with several firearms, killing three
government employees
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, Executive (government), e ...
and wounding 13 others. The
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
's
serjeant-at-arms
A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...
,
René Jalbert
René Marc Jalbert (20 February 1921 – 21 January 1996) was a retired Canadian Forces officer and sergeant-at-arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, known for his role in ending Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Parliament Building o ...
, volunteered himself to serve as a hostage, and conversed with Lortie for several hours before convincing him to surrender to authorities. After a 1985 conviction of
first-degree murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
was overturned by the
Quebec Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal of Quebec (sometimes referred to as Quebec Court of Appeal or QCA) (in French: ''la Cour d'appel du Québec'') is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada. It hears cases in Quebec City and Montreal.
History
The Court wa ...
, Lortie pleaded guilty to reduced charges of
second-degree murder in 1987, for which he was convicted and sentenced to
life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...
with no
parole
Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...
for ten years. Lortie was granted
day parole Day parole is a form of release under Canadian law that permits prisoner participation in public activities during the day, and requires they return to their prison or halfway house nightly. The Parole Board of Canada may waive this requirement, or ...
in 1995, then full parole in 1996, and has since kept a low profile among the general public.
Life
Denis Lortie was born in
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
on March 10, 1959, as the youngest son of eight children. His exact birthplace within Quebec is not publicly known. Lortie and all his siblings were physically and sexually abused by their father for many years.
Lortie's father reportedly fathered a child with one of his daughters.
One of the Lortie siblings finally informed the police of the abuses in the late 1960s. In 1969, Lortie's father was sent to federal prison for three years.
In 1972, Lortie's father finished incarceration but never returned to his family.
Lortie joined the Canadian Forces in the late 1970s after finishing high school in Quebec. Lortie served in the
Logistics Branch
The Royal Canadian Logistics Service (RCLS, french: links=no, Service royal de la logistique du Canada) is a personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).
In April 1997, the CF Armed Forces Council decided to incorporate the Personnel Adm ...
at
CFB Borden
Canadian Forces Base Borden (also CFB Borden, French: Base des Forces canadiennes Borden or BFC Borden), formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CF ...
,
CFB Valcartier
Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebe ...
,
CFB Halifax
Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax is Canada's east coast naval base and home port to the Royal Canadian Navy Atlantic fleet, known as Canadian Fleet Atlantic (CANFLTLANT), that forms part of the formation Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT).
It ...
and
CFS Carp
The Diefenbunker, formerly known by its military designation, Canadian Forces Station Carp (CFS Carp), is a large underground four-storey reinforced concrete bunker and nuclear fallout shelter located in the rural area of Carp, Ontario approxima ...
. On December 27, 1980, Lortie married Lisa Levesque in
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, and he was posted to CFB Halifax the following year.
The couple had a son in 1982 and a daughter in 1983.
At the time of the shooting, Lortie was posted to CFS Carp, near
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, was ranked a corporal, and worked as a supply technician.
Lortie was bilingual in French and English. But even while speaking French, his native language, he encountered pronunciation difficulties. This resulted in irregular and halting speech.
Lortie blamed his social and professional failures on his inability to speak English flawlessly,
and was keenly aware that his poor English reinforced negative stereotypes of
Francophones
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
and
Québécois.
After the birth of his daughter, Lortie worried that he would become abusive in the manner of his father,
and contemplated killing himself and his family before placing blame on the governing pro-
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
for his problems, disliking the party's advocacy of a "Francophone identity" for Quebec.
Lortie planned the killing spree as a means of broadcasting his discontent.
Events
Before the shooting
On May 7, 1984, Lortie left the CFS Carp military base, pretending that he needed time off to arrange a divorce with his wife.
Instead, he rented a car, drove to Quebec City and took a guided tour of the
Parliament Building.
He then rented a room in a motel for the night.
Lortie had previously attempted to secure leave from his base, but was refused. It was during this encounter that Lortie later claimed he saw the face of his father on the face of the officer that denied his request.
The next day, May 8, 1984, at 9:30 a.m., Lortie walked into
CJRP
''For the radio station in Saint John, New Brunswick, see CJRP-FM.''
CJRP was a French-language Canadian radio station located in Quebec City, Quebec. It operated from 1959 to 1994.
The station broadcast on 1060 kHz, using a daytime power of ...
radio station in Quebec City, identified himself as "Mr. D", and dropped off a sealed envelope containing an audiotape for one of the station's hosts,
André Arthur
André Arthur (December 21, 1943 – May 8, 2022) was a Canadian radio host and politician. He was the independent Member of Parliament for the riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier from 2006 to 2011. He is known for his outspoken style and anti-s ...
. He instructed the radio staff not to open the envelope until 10:30 a.m., but they opened it anyway, discovering that it was a statement of Lortie's plans, in which he declared, "The government now in power is going to be destroyed." However, by the time radio staff contacted police, Lortie's plan had already been put into action.
The shooting
At 9:45 a.m., Lortie entered the Parliament Building through a side door located on . He was dressed in combat uniform and armed with two
C-1 submachine guns, an
Inglis pistol, a duffel bag containing four hundred rounds of
9 mm NATO ammunition, as well as a knife strapped to his leg. As he entered the building, he shot and mortally wounded a receptionist, then killed a messenger whom he encountered in a corridor. He then went into a smoking room and shot and wounded a person there before moving to the cafeteria, but finally found his way into the Assembly Chamber, outside of which dozens of armed (SQ) officers, as well as more than a dozen operatives and
Quebec City Police (many carrying
M2 carbines), helicopters, and snipers were taking position.
Based on later testimony, it is clear that he intended to assassinate Premier
René Lévesque
René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...
and other members of the governing . His plan was to enter the Assembly Chamber during the parliamentary committee meeting, which was starting at 10:00 a.m. that morning. However, instead of using a watch, Lortie timed his attack by listening to CJRP and waited for the station's host, André Arthur, to end his segment. On that day, Arthur ended his broadcast 20 minutes early, leading Lortie to enter the building and make his way to the Assembly Chamber while it was mostly empty. Lortie opened fire on the government employees still inside the Assembly Chamber, killing one and wounding 11 others. No politicians were killed or wounded.
Lortie's surrender
The National Assembly's
sergeant-at-arms
A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...
,
René Jalbert
René Marc Jalbert (20 February 1921 – 21 January 1996) was a retired Canadian Forces officer and sergeant-at-arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, known for his role in ending Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Parliament Building o ...
, was informed that there was a man in military uniform with a gun in the Assembly Chamber. Upon stepping out of the elevator, Lortie asked him why he came, and fired his C-1 submachine gun inches from his face.
Jalbert said that he too had been a soldier, with the , and that if Lortie would allow it, he would show him his discharge card. Lortie agreed, after which Jalbert persuaded him to show his own identification.
After this exchange, Jalbert persuaded Lortie to come into his office to discuss the matter, and release the other civilians in the Assembly Chamber. Jalbert talked to Lortie for more than four hours, ultimately promising him that he would be able to surrender to military police (since he was unwilling to surrender to civilian police). At 2:15 p.m., Lortie surrendered to officers of the SQ, Quebec City Police, and the National Assembly security.
For his actions, which likely prevented further death, Jalbert was awarded the
Cross of Valour several months later, in the same National Assembly chamber that Lortie had burst into.
Victims
The following were killed in the shooting:
* Georges Boyer
* Camille Lepage (not to be confused with the French photojournalist
Camille Lepage
Camille Lepage (January 28, 1988 – May 12, 2014) was a French photojournalist who was killed during the conflict in the Central African Republic in 2014. Her death was described as a murder by the French presidency and it marked the first ...
, who was also a victim of homicide)
* Roger Lefrançois
Aftermath
One of the contributing factors to the shooting was, allegedly, the easy access that Lortie had to both weapons and ammunition. Unlike other non-combat Canadian Forces Bases, CFS Carp, the base at which he was stationed, apparently did not have an
armoury
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are most ...
, or even ammunition lockers.
According to psychiatrist
Pierre Mailloux
Pierre Mailloux (born January 14, 1949), better known as Doc Mailloux or Docteur Mailloux, is a controversial Canadian psychiatrist and radio show host.
Background
Born in Normandin in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. He studied ...
, who was assigned to the case, Lortie had
paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...
and had organized his crime during a psychotic episode, believing that he was acting on instructions given to him from God. Nevertheless, in 1985, Lortie was convicted of first-degree murder, but a new trial was ordered when the
Quebec Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal of Quebec (sometimes referred to as Quebec Court of Appeal or QCA) (in French: ''la Cour d'appel du Québec'') is the highest judicial court in Quebec, Canada. It hears cases in Quebec City and Montreal.
History
The Court wa ...
determined the trial judge had made errors while instructing jurors about how they should weigh testimony from psychiatrists heard in the case.
Lortie pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder in 1987.
In 1995, Lortie was released on day parole to a
halfway house
A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves.
As well as serving as a ...
in
Hull, Quebec
Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Canadia ...
, after being released from a minimum security correctional facility north of
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
where he had been undergoing psychiatric treatment, classes to deal with aggression, and serving a life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 10 years. According to the
Parole Board of Canada
The Parole Board of Canada (french: Commission des libérations conditionnelles du Canada; formerly known as the National Parole Board) is the Canadian government agency that is responsible for reviewing and issuing parole and criminal pardons in ...
, Lortie no longer posed a threat to society, and "patched his life together despite being responsible for one of the most notorious events in Quebec history."
Under the release terms, Lortie was required to spend every night at the halfway house between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. He was also required to let parole board supervisors know where he was at all times, and was restricted to a radius from the house. The relatives of some of Lortie's victims believed he was not punished severely enough, with some believing he should have been
executed
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, a punishment that could not be applied, as Canada abolished its death penalty in 1976.
Granted full parole in July 1996 (the same year Jalbert died of cancer), Lortie has since kept a low profile. He is last known to have worked at a convenience store in the
Hull—Aylmer district of Quebec,
and is now married, with a steady job and a house, and has reportedly been forthcoming with "the people who monitor his case".
See also
*
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau
The 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill were a series of shootings that occurred on October 22, 2014, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa. At the Canadian National War Memorial, Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a Canadian soldier and reservist on ceremonial s ...
, a 2014 shooter who attacked the Canadian Parliament Buildings Centre Block
*
Paul Joseph Chartier, who attempted to bomb the Canadian Parliament Building in Ottawa in 1966
*
List of rampage killers in the Americas
This section of the list of rampage killers contains those cases that occurred in the Americas, with an exclusion of any such crime committed in the United States (see top of the page).
This section does not include school massacres; workplace ...
*
List of attacks on legislatures
The following is a list of attacks on state or national legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial ...
References
External links
CBC ArchivesFrench article in the newspaper ''Le Soleil'' describing the events ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
''. May 21, 1984.
French article describing the event on its 20th anniversary in 2004Bergande, Wolfram: ''The Père-version of the Political in the Case of Denis Lortie'', in: The Sinthom 15, www.lacan.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lortie, Denis
History of Quebec City
Crime in Quebec
Living people
Quebec murderers
Canadian people convicted of murder
People convicted of murder by Canada
1959 births
People with schizophrenia
Quebec Legislature
Failed assassins
Canadian Army soldiers
Attacks on legislatures
Canadian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Canada