Parti Québécois Leader Pauline Marois was abruptly rushed off stage mid-way through her victory speech after a shot was fired and a fire set behind the downtown Montreal venue where her supporters had gathered.

Montreal police said one person died in the shooting and a second person was injured and in critical condition.

Police took one person into custody, a man in his 50s who was allegedly involved in the events at the Metropolis concert hall.

The man entered the venue from the back just before midnight, police said.

"He shot at least one shot toward two victims," Const. Danny Richer said.

"We don't know what was [behind] that event," Richer said. "Our investigators are going to meet with him overnight."

It wasn't clear how close the suspect came to the PQ leader, he said.

Police said they recovered one weapon, but didn't release further details.

Television images show police taking a man into custody outside the concert hall, dressed in a housecoat.

The suspect, while being dragged toward the police cruiser, could be heard shouting in French, "The English are waking up!"

Marois returned to the stage a short time after the incident and asked the crowd to calmly leave the building before concluding with a few more lines of thanks and congratulations.

Police said she was in "good condition" and was not harmed.

This sounds like just the thing that Les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents would orchestrate.

Except the shots were fired at a victory party for a member of the Parti Québécois, so they'd be on the same side.

Unless the Quebecois orchestrated it to make it look as if they're the victims.

The thing I don't get is, why was the shooter speaking French?

They speak French in Quebec.

I know that, and I know the issue is more complex than just english speakers vs french speakers, but the shooter said, in French, that "the english are waking up" so it was almost like he was framing it as being that simple, while demonstrating that it wasn't.

yeah I have no idea really.

Maybe he was just some nut.