René Jalbert


René Marc Jalbert, was a retired Canadian Forces officer and sergeant-at-arms of the National Assembly of Quebec, known for his role in ending Denis Lortie's killing spree in the Parliament Building on 8 May 1984.

Military career

Jalbert served in World War II and the Korean War, ultimately attaining the rank of major in the Royal 22e Régiment.

Sergeant-at-Arms

After his military career, he served as sergeant-at-arms in the National Assembly of Quebec.
On 8 May 1984, Denis Lortie entered the Parliament Building in the morning, before government business had begun, killing three government employees and wounding 13 others on his way to the Assembly Chamber. Upon learning of Lortie's presence, Jalbert entered the Assembly Chamber. Seeing Lortie in uniform, Jalbert showed the gunman his identification as a war veteran from the same regiment as Lortie, opening a dialogue with him. Jalbert convinced Lortie to allow several employees to leave the premises. Then he invited Lortie into his downstairs office to discuss the situation, in effect setting himself up as hostage while removing Lortie from the scene. At extreme personal risk, Jalbert spent four hours persuading Lortie to surrender to police.
Jalbert's actions almost certainly prevented a higher death toll. For his bravery, Jalbert was awarded the Cross of Valour, Canada's highest civilian award for bravery, which was presented to him 9 November 1984, by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé in a ceremony at Rideau Hall, Ottawa.
The award citation reads:
In 2006 a street in Quebec City was named after René Jalbert:
His younger brother was film and television actor Pierre Jalbert who died in 2014.
Major Jalbert died at age 74 in 1996.

Awards and Decorations

Jalbert's personal awards and decorations include the following:
RibbonDescriptionNotes
Cross of Valour
WW2 1939–1945 Star
  • 1939-1945, WW2
    • WW2 France and Germany Star
  • 1939-1945, WW2
    • WW2 Defence Medal
  • 1939-1945, WW2
    • WW2 Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
  • with Overseas Service bar
    • WW2 War Medal 1939–1945
  • WWII 1939-1945, WW2
    • Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea
    Special Service Medal
  • with NATO-OTAN Clasp
    • Korea Medal
  • United Nations 1950-1953
    • United Nations Medal
  • United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus - UNFICYP
    • International Commission for Supervision and Control Medal
  • Indo-China, 1954–1973
    • Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
  • Decoration awarded in 1977
  • Canadian version
    • 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
  • Decoration awarded in 1992
    • Canadian Forces Decoration
  • with one Clasp for 22 years of services