One person was killed and another was injured during a victory speech by Quebec's premier-elect Pauline Marois in Montreal on Tuesday, police said.
The shooting occurred as Ms. Marois, the leader of the separatist Parti Quebecois, which seeks the independence of the predominantly French-speaking province from Canada, was delivering her victory speech following a tightly-contested provincial election.
The suspect fired at least two shots and set fire to the rear entrance, police spokesman Constable Danny Richer said.
Police arrested a 50-year-old suspect. Canadian Broadcasting Corp . reported that the man shouted, “The English are awakening!” as he was being led into a police car.
Footage of the speech showed two plainclothes bodyguards whisking away Ms. Marois after she said, “Tonight we have a new chapter in our history and I hope this will be our opportunity to find our pride as a people. As a nation we want to make the decisions about the things that are important to us. We want a country. And we will have it!” Ms. Marois, the first woman to be elected state premier, was not injured in the incident. She returned to the podium to ask people to evacuate the premises.