Canada faced dramatic changes through the decades of the 1960’s and 1970’s, but in particular the province of Quebec. In 1959, Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis died, this marked the beginning of the Quiet Revolution. Duplessis was the Union Nationale leader and the party had controlled Quebec for decades until shortly after Duplessis’ death, a provincial election was held where the Liberals, led by Jean Lesage, had won the vote. The Liberals started moving away from the Catholic ideologies, traditions were being shifted and a transformed society was taking over the province of Quebec. Lesage was famously quoted in 1962 “There is no doubt in my mind; it’s now or never that we must become masters in our own home.” which became the Liberals …show more content…
In the midst of the October Crisis Pierre Trudeau handled the time of terrorism well. In this essay one will see how Trudeau handled the crisis excellently by examining the first domestic use of the War Measures Act which led to improvements on the Act, ensuring that Quebec did not become its own independent country, and how Canada stood behind and supported Quebec and Pierre Trudeau through the acts of violence led by the FLQ.
On October 16, 1970 Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. It was the first time this Act had been invoked in peacetime, although was justified by the evidence of an insurrection. To start off, the first domestic use of the War Measures Act was invoked which led to improvements on the act. It was invoked and gives emergency power to the federal government and this act further suspended Canadians’ fundamental civil freedoms. Some civil freedoms include: the right to be protected against unwarranted or arbitrary arrests, detentions, searches and seizures, and the right to an attorney. The Act however allowed the government to declare anyone who publicly supported the FLQ to be a member of the group, arrest and hold any of the FLQ without bail for up to 90 days, and imprison FLQ member for up to five years. This builds a trust bridge between the government and the citizens. The citizens have to trust the
In further analysis, angry people are more likely to listen to militants and commit violent acts, building a tense environment for Quebec citizens to live in. According to CBC Digital Archives, in response to the FLQ and other revolutionary groups forming, “when innocent people became injured from terrorist attacks, the cry for police involvement became shrill.” (FLQ Backgrounder Web) It is evident in this statement that many separatists who resorted to acts of terrorism consequently stimulated anger and fear in Quebec. If the Quiet Revolution had not occurred and the feelings of separatism and rise of terrorist groups did not follow, fewer people would have been hurt by the violence, both directly and indirectly. All things considered, the encouragement of separatism also weakened English-French relations as Quebec left 30 large shared programs, though the other provinces did not have the right to do so. All things considered, “from the Quebec Act of 1774 to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada has protected the place of its French minority. If Quebec were to separate, that protection would be gone and the Francophone society would be assimilated by the wider world within a generation or two.” (Kheiriddin) In relation to this comment, many English Canadians viewed Quebec’s special status during the revolution as
“Just watch me” are the defiant words uttered by Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau in response to the Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ), a Marxist group who captained Quebec independence through indiscriminate political violence. His words are not those of an iron-fisted strongman, despite how strong and undetailed his comments were at the time, but those of a calculated and well-versed leader, whose decisions came at the behest of prominent Quebec politicians. The FLQ instilled a decade of social violence in the streets of Quebec by systemically championing the struggles of French minorities who perceived unjust treatment in everyday life. Their qualms quickly evolved from protest to a Marxist movement, which incorporated
. . infuriated by” is still widely debated. Some argue that it removed many of the rights granted to Canadians, while others commend the government for doing their job and protecting the people of the nation. The process that led up to the enactment of the War Measures Act was that on October 15, Quebec acted within the National Defense Act which “permitted Quebec to call in the Canadian Army.” Arrival of the troops created unrest within the province and the next day, at the request of the Quebec government, “the War Measures Act Regulations were proclaimed by Ottawa.” The War Measures Act allowed authorities (police and army) to arrest and imprison anyone who had any tie to the “unlawful association” which was the FLQ in this case. Many people were detained and released again; this enactment facilitated the arrest of many of the leaders within the FLQ which stopped much of the momentum of the terrorist movement. Many people saw the War Measures Act as a “Great Reinforcer” for the police as well as for the governments reputation. The chaos that ensued in October put much stress upon the Prime Minister at the time, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who was a Quebecois
The Front de Libération du Québec, or the FLQ was the main group that was responsible for the October Crisis. This group of French Canadians were violent to reach their goals. FLQ members were trained by revolutionaries who supported Che Guevara, and some were trained by Palestinian commandos. They’ve committed 200 violent actions, have robbed banks, and participated in bombings. Not only did they commit those actions but they also kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross and kidnapped Pierre Laporte. Laporte was found dead on October 17, 1970 which led to Prime Minister Trudeau broadcasting the FLQ manifesto and transporting five FLQ terrorists to Cuba to release James Cross. The government responded to this crisis by implementing the War Measures Act. This gave the government the power to take people’s civil rights away. They responded with the crisis using the War Measures Act as they believed that the people wanted to overthrow the Canadian government. French-English relations were greatly affected from the October
Pierre Trudeau is one of Canada’s most renowned Prime Ministers. He was in office April 20, 1968, to June 4, 1979, and later on March 3, 1980, to June 30, 1984,.¹ An event that Pierre Trudeau is well known for is the enactment of the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. This decision to invoke the War Measures Act during the October Crisis has led to a great deal of controversy on whether the act was justified. The October Crisis was a series of events in October 1970, these events began with the kidnappings of James Cross and later Pierre Laporte by the group known as the FLQ (Front de libération du Québec) the group’s main goals were to create an independent Quebec.2 The group resorted to terrorist acts in order to achieve those goals, this later led to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act. The War Measures Act was a federal statute adopted by parliament during WWI and has been used 3 times; during WWI, WWII and during the October Crisis. The act gives major power to the Canadian government to uphold security during times of great distress.3 Pierre Trudeau was justified in enacting the War Measures Act during the October Crisis. One reason that Pierre Trudeau was justified in invoking the War Measures Act is that the FLQ was essentially a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths and injuries of countless people. Since the group was formed in the early 1960’s, the terrorist group’s acts had only worsened from mailbox bombings to
Throughout history, the actions of governments have always been debated; however, occasionally there are certain events which spark much controversy, both at the time of the event and by historians today. One of these controversial acts was the invocation of the War Measures Act in 1970, an act which suspended the civil liberties of Canadian citizens. In October 1970, in what became known as the October Crisis, the Front de libération du Québec, (commonly known as the FLQ) which was a French Canadian organization advocating independence from Canada, kidnapped two politicians. This initiated a series of events, one of which was the invocation of the War Measures Act by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. Many historians argue that
In October 1970, Canada faced a pressing terrorist attack in Montreal, Quebec by a group known as the Front de Liberation du Quebec, or the FLQ for short. The group committed multiple attacks starting in 1963 that slowly escalated until the October Crisis, where they kidnapped two government officials and proceeded to murder one of them. The Canadian government responded harshly and rapidly. The prime minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, issued the War Measures Act which along with various things allowed the police and military full reign to arrest people and hold them with no explanation. The Canadian population was highly supportive of the government’s action believing that this extreme state repression would bring a finish to the October
The FLQ manifesto is a political manifesto that sought to promote Quebecoi independence and the rejection of Liberal party policy, which focused primarily on big business and private investment. Released in what was one of Canada’s most politically turbulent period, the document provides key insights into the FLQ organization demands and to the broader discussion taking place in Quebec society. The document was produced by the front de liberation du Quebec, a left wing organization that advocated for separatist policies beginning in the early 1960’s. Politically energized in the inner city college campuses, the organization resorted to public bombings designed not to hurt but to instill fear into society. They pushed a narrative of Francophile
The October Crisis was a series of events trigged by the kidnapping of two government officials during October of 1970 in the province of Quebec. The kidnappings of British Trade Commissioner James Cross and Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte were the pinnacle of all terrorist activity led by the Front de Libération du Quebec (FLQ). The FLQ was a radical separatist group who strived for Quebec’s independence from the rest of Canada. The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use of the War Measures Act in Canadian history, invoked by Governor General of Canada Roland Michener at the direction of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The use of the War Measures Act had been requested by the Premier of Quebec, Robert
On the 5th of October 1970, the October Crisis took place because the Front Early State Liberation Du Quebec (FLQ) kidnaps British agent James Cross, and later, Labour Minister Pierre Laporte. This causes the invocation of the War Measures Act by then Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau. This act allows the authority to momentarily interrupt national liberties. This is often important because of it absolutely was the sole invocation of the War live Act during the period in Canadian History. Gratitudes to the growth in state rates, discontentment with the dearth of nationalism authorization, and also the rise against foreign imperialism by the colonial states, the Front de libération du Québec supported in 1963. they need to show limitless acts of
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the aspects of The Quiet Revolution on Quebec, and how the changes implemented by Lesage made Quebec the province it is today. The Quiet Revolution was only quiet at name; it triggered many conflicts that appeared in Quebec. The province began to move away from Catholic Church with the help of nationalists, leaving Quebec reformed and quite different from how it was before the 1960’s.
Since the Confederation of Canada until today, the province of Quebec has always wanted become its own nation by separating from Canada. As a result, Canada’s scariest ever terrorist group, the Front de Libération de Quebec (FLQ), wrote the darkest chapter in Canadian history, The October Crisis. To end the terror, Canadian Prime Minister, Trudeau, was forced to invoke the War Measures Act (WMA) during his term in 1970 which was flawed with disapproval and controversy since it was the first time the Act was used during peacetime. However, despite the criticism, his decision to invoke the War Measures Act was reasonable because of the fear presented by the FLQ, the public and governmental demands, and the end result of the October Crisis.
On October 5th 1970, the British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped by the Liberation cell of Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) in the morning. The FLQ demanded the Canadian government to release 23 of its members in prison, $500,000 of ransom, the publication of its manifesto, revealing the identity of police informants, a save passage to travel to Cuba or Algeria, and the rehiring of the Lapalme postal truck drivers and stop all police suppression.[ Chronology of the October Crisis, 1970, and its Aftermath, Claude Bélanger, Department of History, Marianopolis College] The government had considered these demands and decided that they were unreasonable. But some media had published the FLQ’s manifesto and it caused concerns that the government should make concession to secure Cross’s released. Following this incident, on October 10th 1970, Pierre Laporte, the provincial Minster of Labor, was abducted by another FLQ cell named Chénier cell. To fully understand the situation, we need to take a deeper look into the conflicts and hostile atmosphere between Anglo Canadian and Francophone Canadian in Quebec. Even before Canadian Confederation, the was tension between the two party. Quebec and Montreal Area are mainly consist of Francophone Canadians and they have strong will to preserve French culture, language, religions, and their well being in Canada. Since 1960s, social change had played a huge role in people’s lives here in Canada and the slow pace of change in
The October Crisis was a crisis that involved the kidnapping and murder of Pierre Laporte, and kidnapping and later release of James Cross. James Cross was a British Trade Commissioner, while Pierre Laporte was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour for Québec. James Cross kidnapping occurred on October 5th 1970, after 60 days as a result of negotiations with kidnappers who requested exile in Cuba and not facing trial in Québec he had been released. On the other hand Laporte kidnappers had murdered him, this resulted in arrests to whoever was associated with his death and jailed for kidnapping and first-degree murder. This was the first time Pierre Trudeau used peacetime the use of “War Measures Act” in Canada’s history, he made this decision
Trudeau responded with the immediate enactment of the War Measures Act, which allowed the Fed Gov to rule over all areas of Canada. Under the Act, anyone in relation or suspicoin of being related to the FLQ could be arrested withou a warrant, and without being officailly charged.