Premier François Legault is being invited to brush up on his history after declaring today that politicians in Quebec don’t face the kind of violence seen over the weekend in the United States.

Legault’s comments were in reaction to the attempted assassination on Saturday of former president Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon received Legault’s comments poorly, noting that PQ leaders have twice been the targets of attacks — in 1984 and most recently during the 2012 provincial election night.

In 2012, a gunman attacked a PQ rally in Montreal, killing a lighting technician and trying to enter a venue where then-PQ leader Pauline Marois was giving a victory speech.

Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois is removed from the stage by SQ officers as she speaks to supporters in Montreal, Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012 following her election win. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

And in 1984, a gunman burst into the legislature with the aim of killing then-premier René Lévesque and other members of the PQ. He killed three people and wounded 13 others.

Speaking to reporters at the Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax, Legault said what happened over the weekend is worrying for democracy in the U.S., but that kind of violence against politicians “doesn’t happen in Quebec.”

St-Pierre Plamondon said on X that what’s worrying is for the premier to make such sweeping statements that ignore Quebec history.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2024.