By Canadian Press

Supreme Court of Canada to rule on sentencing for Quebec City mosque shooter

May 27, 2022 | 2:18 AM

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is slated to rule this morning on the sentencing of a man who went on a deadly shooting spree at a Quebec City mosque. 

The high court decision in Alexandre Bissonnette’s case will determine the constitutionality of a key provision on parole eligibility in multiple murder convictions. 

Bissonnette pleaded guilty to six charges of first-degree murder in the January 2017 assault that took place just after evening prayers. 

In 2019, Bissonnette successfully challenged a 2011 law that allowed a court, in the event of multiple murders, to impose a life sentence and parole ineligibility periods of 25 years to be served consecutively for each murder. 

A judge found the provision unconstitutional but did not declare it invalid, ultimately ruling Bissonnette must wait 40 years before applying for parole. 

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Quebec’s Court of Appeal struck down the sentencing provision on constitutional grounds and said the parole ineligibility periods should be served concurrently, meaning a total waiting period of 25 years in Bissonnette’s case. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2022.

The Canadian Press