One person was killed and another seriously wounded when a gunman opened fire during the victory speech of Quebec's newly elected separatist premier, who was unharmed, police said on Tuesday.
The shooting took place with Pauline Marois's Parti Quebecois projected to win Tuesday's elections in the mostly French-speaking province, ousting Premier Jean Charest from the legislature and his Liberals from power.
The alleged gunman was quickly arrested after firing a rifle into the crowded concert hall in the provincial capital Montreal, police said. He is also believed to have started a fire near the venue.
The police later announced the death of one of the victims via Twitter. Caught on camera during the arrest, the man shouted: "The English are waking up!" indicating that the shooting may have been motivated by fears among the province's English-speaking minority of independence from Canada.
Local media reported that he also shouted: "It's gonna be fucking payback!"Marois was hustled offstage by her bodyguards but returned a few minutes later, visibly shaken but unharmed, to quickly conclude her speech.
If the projected results hold up, the 63-year-old will become the province's first-ever female prime minister.
Her Parti Quebecois favours independence from mostly English-speaking Canada, but is not expected to immediately pursue secession, as voters are believed to have been more interested in ousting Charest than seeking independence.
Shortly before the shooting, however, Marois had said that "the future of Quebec is to be a sovereign country."
