André Dallaire

André Dallaire (born 1961) is a Canadian man who attempted to assassinate Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien in 1995. Dallaire claimed that he heard voices that led him to break into the 24 Sussex Drive residence. At trial, Justice Paul Bélanger agreed with Dallaire's earlier diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and found Dallaire guilty of attempted murder, but not criminally responsible.

Biography Born in Longueuil, Quebec, Dallaire was diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia at sixteen years of age. He had quit his job at a Montreal convenience store on October 25, 1995, removing all the money out of the cash register and walking off mid-shift. On October 30, his sister reported receiving a letter from him that had been postmarked in Ottawa.

He then climbed the fence and strode over to the house, where he smashed a glass door and entered, rousing her husband, who initially dismissed her story as "just a dream", while she dialled the RCMP officers stationed outside the house. It was reported that either Aline or Jean brandished an Inuit stone sculpture of a loon in case Dallaire broke through the door.

His travel during the trial was not restricted, so long as he was accompanied at all times by a worker from the group home. He was formally charged with attempted murder, breaking and entering, possession of a weapon and being unlawfully in a dwelling. His defence counsel was John Hale. Reform Party MP and former RCMP constable Jack Ramsay remarked "among RCMP officers that the 24 Sussex job is one of the most boring—and until last fall the force did not dispatch its best people to carry out the job."

Aftermath In 1998, Dallaire spoke to the media, apologizing for his behaviour, and reassuring the Canadian public that he was now on medication that controlled his actions, and that he hoped the Chrétiens could forgive his actions.

After about a year, Dallaire was given a conditional discharge and sent to live in an Ottawa group home.

In 1998, an intoxicated man was found on the grounds of the prime minister's residence, raising questions about the security upgrade undertaken since Dallaire's intrusion.