Quebec mosque shooter Alexandre Bissonnette to be sentenced in February

Alexandre Bissonnettewill find out if he will ever be eligible for parole nearlytwo years to the day afterhe carried out one of thedeadliest mass shootings in Canadian history.

The 28-year-old pleaded guilty in March to six counts of first-degree murderfor killing six Muslims insidea Quebec City mosque on Jan. 29, 2017.

Superior Court JusticeFranoisHuotinformedBissonnetteon Wednesday that he will be sentenced on Feb. 8, 2019.

By pleading guilty,Bissonnettewas automatically sentenced to life in prison.

ButHuotmust now determine whether Bissonnette should be eligible for parole after 25 years,as the defence is asking,or whether the eligibility periods should be served back-to-back, adding up to 150 years.

Originally planned forOctober,sentencing was postponedwhenHuotasked the Crown and the defencequestions about the constitutionality of stacking his parole ineligibility.

Both the defence and the Crown agreed on Wednesday that the eligibility periods had to be served in 25-year chunks. They also both saidthat Bissonnette's age when he committed the crime, 27, shouldn't sway Huot's decision.

Jurisprudence for serial murders

Earlier on Wednesday, theCrown arguedthat Bissonnette's intent targeting a place of worshiphad to be considered an aggravating factor.

"Any murder is horrible. Multiple murders are abominable. But what we are dealing with in this case is a racist, heinous, Islamophobic crime," said Thomas Jacques, adding it was"possibly one of the worst hate crimes in Canada's legal history."

In the questionsHuotput before the court, he indicated he was aware of the jurisprudencehe could be creating should he enforceArticle 745.51 of the Criminal Code.

That section, introduced in 2011, allows for consecutive periods of parole ineligibility, andHuot asked the Crown how his ruling could be applied in future cases.

"What will the court do for serial murderers, or for someone who kills for money?" Huot asked.

Jacques replied thathe did not want to give an opinion on hypothetical situations.

ButJacques alsosaid that Article 745.51 would have been applicable to serial murderers like Robert Pickton, who was convicted of six second-degree murder charges in 2007

'Lawmakersmade a mistake'

In his last opportunity to defend his client, lawyerCharles-Olivier Gosselinasked Huottodeclare Article 745.51 unconstitutional.

He said the changes to the Criminal Code under Stephen Harper's Conservative government were made to score political points.

Gosselinargued Huotshould invalidate the law, which would prevent arbitrary sentences from being handed down in the future.

"The intention of the lawmakers was clear, and the lawmakers made a mistake," Gosselinsaid.

Families await sentence

MegdaBelkacemi, whose father was killed in the mosque shooting,saidshe hoped Huotwill consider the social impact that mass murders can have, pointing to the 2018 van attack in Toronto.

"We need to send a clear message that mass murderers are not toleratedany more than serial killers are," Belkacemisaidoutside the courtroom.

She added thather own family is "at peace" while they await Huot'sdecision.

"The judge needed to clarify some points this morning. Justiceis taking its course," saidBelkacemi, herself a lawyer.

But thethe president of the mosque where the shooting took place said he was anxious about the debate the sentencecould provoke, especially since it will comeonly days after the two-year anniversary of the attack.

"We received this incredible wave of compassion [after the attack], but when this decision will come out it will,of course, stir up public opinion,"BoufeldjaBenabdallahsaid.