Report on Parti Quebecois election shooting cites police communication problems

QUEBEC – A report by Quebec’s provincial police apparently describes communication lapses that plagued the force on the night of the shooting at Parti Quebecois headquarters last year.

The provincial Public Security Minister Stephane Bergeron says he recently received the internal report, which he will not release or discuss in detail.

“It described communication problems, internally (within the provincial police), and with partners,” Bergeron said in a brief statement Wednesday.

He said he’s been assured by the police that adjustments to procedure have been made in the wake of the report.

One man was killed and another was injured on Sept. 4, the night of the Quebec election, in a shooting that drew international attention.

Premier Pauline Marois, who was delivering her victory speech at the time, has said she believes she was the intended target in a politically motivated shooting.

Richard Henry Bain faces 16 charges in the shooting, including first-degree murder, and has been declared mentally fit to stand trial.

Bergeron called Quebec a peaceful, tolerant society that has been mostly spared from political violence.

He said that, after Sept. 4, the Quebec police force was asked to investigate the shooting in order to reduce the likelihood of a repeat incident.