Ottawa councillor's death threats motivated by hatred of francophones, judge rules

A judge has ruled that death threats sent to Ottawa Coun. Stephanie Plante were motivated by hatred for the francophone community.

Jason Claude Lamarche, 49, was sentenced by Ontario Court Justice Timothy Lipson to four months in jail and three years of probation. He was convicted of criminal harassment and uttering death threats against Plante, the Rideau-Vanier councillor, who was re-elected to a second council term this week.

The threats came in two emails sent in June 2024. The first told Plante her "days are numbered" and urged her to consider her "immediate safety" in Ottawa. Plante's surname was misspelled as "Plant" in that email, and she replied the next morning to correct it. Lamarche's response about an hour later escalated sharply, the judge found. The second email moved beyond political criticism into explicit threats of lethal violence meant to instill fear. The judge described both emails as "serious and disturbing" in content and consequences.

Plante read a victim-impact statement into the record at the Oct. 29 hearing. "My elected position does not make a death threat part of the job," she told the court. She said she considered quitting after the threats and weighed whether to run again. Outside court, she said too many female politicians are victimized by threats and harassment. "We are seeing more and more women who are deciding not to run," she said. She described being relieved at the close of the case when police led Lamarche out of court to begin his sentence.

The judge referred specifically to women in politics and the need for democratic discourse to continue. Whether Lamarche will appeal is not in the material.

HighOnCity reported in October on hateful emails targeting Ottawa's Muslim schools and centres, which RCMP are investigating.