SQ investigating death of northern Quebec woman as 14th femicide of 2026 in province
Posted August 27, 2026 10:27 am.
Last Updated August 27, 2026 10:26 am.
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is investigating after a 41-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death in Inukjuak in northern Quebec earlier this week. The incident brings the total femicides to 14 so far this year in Quebec, including two others in the last 10 days in Montreal.
According to SQ spokesperson Nancy Fournier, a man went to the Inukjuak police station on Monday around 7:30 a.m. reporting that “he had just committed a crime.”
Soon after officers found a woman who had been stabbed in a home in the community. She was taken to a CLSC where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The suspect, Charlie Palliser, 45, was arrested and appeared in court on one count of murder. He was remanded in custody pending further proceedings, police said. The investigation is ongoing.
‘We are fed up’
The woman was identified on social media as Elisabeth Qumak (Taqa) by Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale.
In a post on Facebook Wednesday, the organization called for action by political parties as the election campaign kicks off.
“We are fed up with dying at the hands of men,” the organization wrote. “We are fed up with having to keep track of femicides, day after day. Inaction is no longer an option.”
“Tomorrow, the political parties will be campaigning. We call on them to commit to ending violence against women.”
Québec Solidaire (QS) spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, reacting to Qumak’s suspected murder, said her party will establish a Ministry of Women and Gender Equality within 100 days, if elected to form the next government.
“It sends a chill down my spine,” Ghazal wrote. “And I refuse to let us get used to counting the women we’ve lost.”
She also called for rapidly increasing the funding for women’s shelters.
“It is not right that one in two women who leave an abusive partner finds herself facing a closed door,” she added. “When a woman finds the courage to leave, our society must be there to welcome her, protect her, and enable her to rebuild her life.”
“I will not accept that women continue to die. This is not inevitable. We must act now.”
