Driving through his small Quebec town of 800 people on Saturday morning, mayor Alain Talbot had just reached for his phone to film an angry resident approaching his car when a brick hit his windshield.
It smashed the glass, falling down on the top of the dashboard and left the mayor of Saint-Paul-de-Montminy — located about 100 kilometres east of Quebec City — in shock.
“It happened so fast,” said Talbot, who was first elected in 2017.
“I never thought it would happen like that.”
While he didn’t sustain any injuries, he says there can’t be any space for violence against elected officials.
“We try to do our best, we understand the verbal attacks.… But it is necessary nevertheless to remain respectful,” said Talbot. He says the man who attacked him has a history with the municipality dating back seven years.
Talbot says no one has been arrested yet, but he has filed a complaint with police.
If the uptick in harassment against elected officials continues, he says “it’s going to be hard to get people in these seats.”
‘Worrying and totally unacceptable’
The regional municipal county of Montmagny has strongly denounced the act of violence.
Prefect Frédéric Jean says he was shocked by the events. He deplores the fact that elected officials are increasingly the targets of verbal and physical violence.
“We need to intervene proactively to prevent violence from breaking out,” said Jean.
“Often, our elected officials are volunteers in these small municipalities. When there are altercations like this, which can put an elected official’s life in danger [who may only make] a few dollars a month, I think we have to denounce it loud and clear.”
Andrée Laforest denounced the incident, saying it is totally unacceptable. (Sylvain Roy Roussel/CBC)
Quebec Minister of Municipal Affairs Andrée Laforest says the attack is “worrying and totally unacceptable.”
“Mr. Talbot had the right reflex: to lodge a complaint with the police immediately,” said Laforest.
“I have been following the situation closely and have been in contact with the mayor to offer him our full support.”
Quebec provincial police spokesperson Nicolas Scholtus confirmed an altercation occurred on Saturday morning around 8:30 a.m.
According to preliminary information, he says a man in his 40s threw an object at another man.
He says there were no injuries during the incident and an investigation is underway.