Episode 360: On May 18, 1966, Paul Joseph Chartier, among other things, a disillusioned and unemployed security guard and former truck driver, attempted a deadly act of terrorism on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Chartier planned to throw a homemade dynamite bomb into the House of Commons chamber, targeting politicians he blamed for societal injustices and his personal failures. However, the bomb detonated prematurely in a washroom, killing only Chartier himself. This tragic incident drew significant attention at the time, leading to investigations by the RCMP and led to a federal inquiry.

Sources:

Robert N. Wilkins: Remembering the man who tried blowing up Parliament, 50 years ago

The Munsinger Affair

Miner, Author, Singer, Lone-Actor Terrorist: The Lives and Death of Paul Joseph Chartier - University of Toronto Press

The Mad Bomber of Parliament Hill by Fontana, James A

The Parliament bombing of 1966

Citizen@175: 'I might as well give you a blast to wake you up'

IMV_-_Terrorism-Research-Key-findings-eng

Learn the lesson of the bad bomb

Hewitt_2021_HistoryofLoneActorsinCanadaFinal

Inquest Paul Joseph Chartier bombing of Parliament

Miner, Author, Singer, Lone-Actor Terrorist: The Lives and Death of Paul Joseph Chartier - University of Toronto Press

201604_clat_final_report — Lone-Actor Terrorism

“Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow”: Lone-Actor Terrorism, Masculinity, and the 1966 Bombing on Parliament Hill in Ottawa

TSAS-Working-Paper-Hofmann-Lone-Actors-Final

Paul Joseph Chartier

Parliament will carry on

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