René Marc Jalbert (20 February 1921 – 21 January 1996) 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. Later he was Usher of the Black Rod for the Parliament of Canada.
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 was sergeant-at-arms in the National Assembly of Quebec, beginning in March 1975.
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 military veteran, 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:
Usher of the black rod and legacy From July 1985 to March 1989, Jalbert was Usher of the Black Rod in the federal Parliament of Canada in Ottawa, the most senior protocol position in the Parliamentary staff.
Jalbert died at age 74 in 1996. His younger brother was film and television actor Pierre Jalbert, who died in 2014.
In 2006 a street in Quebec City was named after René Jalbert.
Awards and decorations Jalbert's personal awards and decorations include the following:
RibbonDescriptionNotes Cross of Valour (Canada) (CV) Awarded (CV) on 15 July 1984 WW2 1939–1945 Star 1939–1945, WW2 WW2 France and Germany Star 1939–1945, WW2 WW2 Defence Medal (United Kingdom) 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 1992Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)with one Clasp for 22 years of services
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