Georges Guénette was a deserter from the Canadian Army and, like many French Canadians during World War II, an opponent of the war and conscription (the draft).

In May 1944, a few months after Guénette deserted from the army, four Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...

 (RCMP) officers found Guenette in his father's farmhouse, in St-Lambert-de-Lévis (near Quebec City

Quebec City

Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...

). He jumped out of a window and ran across the fields. Guénette fell, wounded "by a ricocheting bullet," and died without the last rites of the church.

Two RCMP officers were later charged with manslaughter in Guénette's death, and the shooting was an issue in the 1944 Quebec general election

Quebec general election, 1944

The Quebec general election of 1944 was held on August 8, 1944 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Quebec, Canada. The Union Nationale, led by former premier Maurice Duplessis, defeated the incumbent Quebec Liberal Party, led by Adélard Godbout...

  S

This events that took place in Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 during the Second World War inspires Simon Lavoie for his debut feature film "The Deserter

The Deserter (2008 film)

Le déserteur is a 2008 Quebec feature film directed by Simon Lavoie. The film stares Émile Proulx-Cloutier, Raymond Cloutier, Danielle Proulx, Viviane Audet, Benoit Gouin and Gilles Renaud....

" (Director & Screenplay Simon Lavoie. Starring: Emile Proulx-Cloutier, Raymond Cloutier, Danielle Proulx

Danielle Proulx

Danielle Proulx is a French Canadian actress. She is multi-award winning actress and she was married to Raymond Cloutier. Her son, Émile Proulx-Cloutier, is also an actor. She also has a niece, Catherine Proulx-Lemay, who is an actress...

, Viviane Audet, Benoit Gouin, Gilles Renaud).