Parti Québécois (PQ) MP Sylvain Gaudreault is troubled by the shooting that broke out on the night of June 24 to 25, near a gay bar in downtown Oslo, Norway.

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“It's disturbing to see this still happening in 2022, said the homosexual MP who has represented the riding of Jonquière since 2007. Norway is not a country known for having homophobic policies, as is the case for Uganda, Russia where it is more difficult to assert one's sexual orientation.

The attack left two dead, 21 injured, including 10 seriously injured, according to Oslo police. The tragedy forced the cancellation of an LGBT Pride march scheduled for Saturday.

The alleged perpetrator, a Norwegian of Iranian descent, has been arrested. The 42-year-old man is suspected of terrorist acts of homicide and attempted homicide, according to information from AFP.

“Norway is a progressive country, continued Sylvain Gaudreault. It is deeply worrying. It shows how important it is to mobilize [for the LGBTQ2 cause]. Sometimes people wonder why there is still the pride parade in Montreal in August. I think what just happened proves that we still need to do that. These remain achievements that are fragile [...]. We have to continue to show our pride.”

“Our rights and freedoms are never acquired, added the deputy. You always have to be vigilant.”

Even if he does not make it his hobbyhorse in politics, Sylvain Gaudreault wanted to help normalize the fact of affirming his sexual orientation.

“I always wanted to show that it was something normal, he said. This is my normality. I do not define my political action by that. I define myself more with the environment and the development of the regions. However, I believe that demonstrating this normality advances the LGBT cause.”