(Quebec) It is a “hard,” “clear,” and “clear” finding that the Supreme Court is making on policing the night of the Metropolis attack, believes François Bonnardel. Police forces have “learned” from this tragedy, but still need to coordinate better, according to the new Public Security Minister.
Posted at 11:22 am
“The situation is very different, the police forces have improved,” said Minister François Bonnardel on Friday. “I think the police learned a lot from this event, ten years later, it’s an observation that couldn’t be clearer from an evening where the various police forces missed moments of coordination,” he added.
According to him, the police services must continue to improve their coordination during these types of events.
“The protection of personalities is important, unfortunately we are seeing an increase in cyberbullying […]. In these conditions, I think that the police are learning, changing and improving their methods and there needs to be better coordination of work between the different police forces in events like that of 2012,” said Mr Bonnardel.
The Supreme Court concluded that the security plan of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) had a “significant error” that allowed Richard Henry Bain to launch the attack on the Métropolis to be carried out on the evening of the 2012 Parti Québécois election.
This attack could easily have been avoided with a better plan by the police, according to the court.
Education Secretary and former PQ Minister Bernard Drainville was in Metropolis with his wife and daughter on the night of the attack. He is not surprised by the verdict, which concluded that there had been a security breach.
“We narrowly escaped that day and all I hope is that the police have learned the lessons they need to ensure something like this never happens again,” Mr Drainville commented on Friday.
The decision was correct, says the PQ
“I think the judge’s decision is correct, so I take it for granted that we should award compensation to the victims and issue severe reprimands to the police services,” said Îles-de-la-Madeleine PQ member Joel Arseneau. He hopes the police will not appeal the decision.
“Even for the Quebec government, it’s pretty embarrassing how it happened. I am thinking, of course, of Mrs Marois. And so I think, to turn the page of this event, we have to accept the verdict, and we also have to accept that the police are taking the pill,” he added, lamenting that the SQ “wanted to hide”, reports the investigation on the incident.
It emerged that the SQ had campaigned unsuccessfully to keep the executive report prepared at the request of the then Minister of Public Security secret during the proceedings.
The SQ “has campaigned for better coordination with its internal and external partners when planning and securing the sites,” the police said in a press release. “It has adjusted its procedures related to site security, security plan development, training and information development. »
“All of these funds have already been used in previous campaigns and […] the 2014, 2018 and 2022 elections passed without incident,” said Chief Inspector Patrice Cardinal, quoted in the press release. The SQ does not say if it intends to appeal the Superior Court ruling.
The SPVM also ensures that “significant changes” have been made to its practices, including the “centralized handling of all major events through our command center,” encouraging “close coordination” with partners. Police also do not say whether they intend to appeal the verdict.
“The police messed things up, that’s clear”
“It is a good healing step for the victims of this case. Because yes, that night there was an attack on the new Quebec Prime Minister, and it’s terrible. Then it is a scar in the heart of the nation of Quebec […] Then these victims have the right to representation. We’re going to say frankly, the police screwed up that night, it’s clear,” started Quebec Solidaire deputy Vincent Marissal.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Jonathan Dubé and Guillaume Parisien, two of the four surviving stagehands behind the chase
In its ruling, the Supreme Court awards $292,000 to four survivors whose trials have made it possible to understand the extent of police disorganization that evening.
For its part, the Liberal Party of Quebec recalled that it was “an attack on all of Quebec’s democracy” and hoped police practices have since been updated.
With Charles Lecavalier, Hugo Pilon-Larose, Frédérik-Xavier Duhamel and Louis-Samuel Perron, La Presse