Accused shooter vows to ‘fight the evil separatists’

The accused Quebec election-night shooter is being sent for a psychiatric evaluation after delivering a lengthy rant in court Friday about how he was sent on a mission by Jesus Christ to rid Quebec of its “separatist problem.”

Richard Henry Bain appeared in a Montreal courtroom for what was supposed to have been a routine date-setting. The appearance wound up being anything but routine.

Bain entered the courtroom wearing a white T-shirt and delivered a greeting, both upon his arrival and before exiting, reminiscent of a priestly message to a congregation: “May God bless you all,” he said as he entered and left the room.

He began his monologue by telling the court that he wanted to recognize what he called a holy day of remembrance — the Dec. 7 anniversary of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

Bain ignored repeated requests from Quebec court Judge Robert Marchi to stop veering off-topic and focus on the question from his lawyer: Do you understand why you are here? “I am a Christian soldier and ... we will never surrender to fight the evil separatists,” Bain said.

“I fight for freedom, democracy, justice and to speak one’s mother’s tongue.”

He referred to Jesus several times and described a messianic mission in which Christ had chosen him as his ambassador: “I am here today because my lord and saviour has given me his vision of peace and harmony for all Canadians,” he said. “This national separatist problem, that has been going on for 45 years, will be no more.”

The fishing-lodge owner faces 16 charges, including firstdegree murder; three counts of attempted murder; arson; and a number of weapons charges stemming from the Sept. 4 incident where two people were shot, one fatally.

Bain said he understood when asked by his lawyer if he knew he was charged with the murder of Denis Blanchette, a 48-year-old stagehand at the PQ’s victory rally, who was shot outside Montreal’s Metropolis concert hall.

After the monologue, Judge Marchi agreed a psychiatric assessment was necessary. Bain will returns to court Dec. 17.

The question of whether the election-night shooting had been motivated by politics or madness, or both, has been a subject of intense speculation.

On Friday, Montreal’s Le Devoir newspaper carried an opinion piece arguing Englishlanguage media are to blame for inspiring the killer’s actions. It goes on to suggest that the shooting revealed, “maybe more than we think about the Canadian political reality.”

Prominent politicians have been more tight-lipped.