The Front De Liberation Du Quebec

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

Although Canada can be defined as a nation state, its vast landscape means many people are faced with different views and mindsets. Source one simply shows the differences within the nation of Canada. Eastern and Western Canada, because of their geographical differences, can be faced with contending loyalties when it comes to some nations aspects of life. Different lifestyles under the same set of government creates a physiological barrier between a nation. The source also shows the differences in Quebec nationalism compared to the rest of Canada. Some groups like the FLQ or the Front for Liberation of Quebec are known for their extremist views of Quebec nationalism. The small group called the FLQ was active in the 1960’s and 1970’s and they

The historical context of the Quebec Separatist movement included The Quiet Revolution. The Quiet Revolution was when small groups try to make Quebec independent especially FLQ. The small groups members were Francophones, French-speaking citizens. Their ideals was to make Quebec independent from Canadaś government. First, Canada made a bill stating that it will create a better future for Canada. “The Official Language Bill is a reflection of the nature of this country as a whole and of a conscious choice we are making about our future.” (World History: The Modern Era) Canada thought it was necessary to have one language, and it will make them feel united. After this bill was established, Canada’s government regretted and believed that there should be two official language. Yet the citizens of Canada were still deciding if they wanted that law to pass. “We believe in two official languages and in a pluralist society, not

“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

The slogan that the FLQ adopted was “L’indépendance ou la mort” (Independence or death), describing the extent to which members were willing to go for their cause. In reality though, most members, when arrested and questioned, chose life over death and accepted their punishment without a large struggle. Over time, the mentality that “only violence, terror, kidnapping and assassination would bring the changes it hoped for.” Bombings, robberies and other criminal acts became frequent offenses for the FLQ and they often targeted those in power in the province. During certain “escapades” where the FLQ members would arm themselves, they would go about doing so in ways that were unconventional, typically by robbing a local store where firearms were

“Maîtres chez nous” or in English “Masters of our own house”. These words spoken by Premier Jean Lesage caused an uproar in Quebec by giving the citizens a sense of confidence they had never felt before. Jean Lesage played a crucial role in the modernization of Quebec in a short period of time after recuperating the province from the “Great Darkness”. While the rest of Canada was undergoing innovation, Quebec fell behind due to Maurice Duplessis. After the death of Duplessis, Lesage ran for Premier and was elected in 1960. He promised to improve Quebec through social, economic and cultural changes and proved so by creating programs and replacing others. One of Lesage’s accomplishments to modernize Quebec was being able to subside the Catholic Church’s role and replace it with a more commanding provincial government role. Another achievement of Lesage’s to rejuvenate Quebec was nationalizing private electricity companies which allowed workers to speak French entirely, guaranteed the Quebec economy benefits, and adjusted wages. Finally, the Quiet Revolution allowed the rest of Canada to hear the nationalist views of Quebecers after the FLQ terrorist group terrorized several mailboxes, kidnapped James Cross and killed Pierre Laporte.

Though the beginning of the separatist movement was marred by fighting and violence, the vast majority of the conflict has been a political one. The reason for the revolution in Quebec stems from the restrictions placed upon the populace by the English. These restrictions were on both the language and culture of the Quebecois, and caused them to feel trapped in under the English rule, for lack of a better term. This revolution is on a much less certain foot than the others however, with many of the younger citizens not remember the restrictions of days

For some time, many Quebecois had faith in the FLQ, believing the group would speed the process of separation from Canada; however the FLQ’s loyalty to these beliefs is questionable. Ultimately, it was perceived that the FLQ’s only goal was to give Quebec its justice; they wanted to see them united in a free society. On the other hand, during the October Crisis, they had not been able to prove that. When the FLQ kidnapped British diplomat James Cross, it publicized 7 demands, of which only one concerned French-Canadians, pertaining to fairer working conditions which was later dropped (Tetley, 2007). The rest concerned the FLQ themselves: publication of the Manifesto (a public declaration of policy and aims), the name of an informer, $500,000 in gold, the release of 23 jailed terrorists, and to transport them to either Algeria or Cuba (Knowlton, 1990). A goal of Quebec’s at the time, the protection of the French language, was a cause that preoccupied much of the nation, but was not a particular concern for the FLQ. In fact, the 1970 Manifesto was written in and proclaimed in informal French and “Fringlish” (Knowlton, 1990). The FLQ’s dedication to their cause is doubtful. FLQ believed that they weren’t going to get caught, hence their slogan “Independence or death” (Brown, 2011). However, when justice prevailed, the members chose exile rather than martyrdom. This made it clear that the FLQ’s dedication

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

Since FLQ was a terrorist group and the government had to tackle it very carefully, it did not have any safe options to consider. The FLQ kidnapped British trade commissioner James Richard Cross on October 5, 1970 and demanded the release of 23 political prisoners (that were actually, convicted criminals), in exchange for Cross’s life. This was an extreme step taken by the FLQ. It began as a revolutionary group that held demonstrations and protests to separate Quebec from Canada, turned into a terrorist group that started bombing the province and eventually, became a group of kidnappers and blackmailers. People were terrorized and the government realized that the sooner it acted, the better it would be. But, Pierre Trudeau and his democratic government faced a tough challenge. They could either release the 23 criminals for James Cross or take a strict action against FLQ to stop it and face the consequences. Many discussions were held to find a solution to this problem in the best possible way. The leaders deliberated for days to find a way out through non-violence until the

In 1980 The PQ government called a referendum asking weather Quebec should have a new agreement with the rest of Canada. The No side won by a slim margin. In response to the referendum Pierre Trudeau promised to reform the Constitution. "Do you want "a new agreement with the rest of Canada, based on the equality of nations"? That was the heart of the question placed before the people of Quebec in the May 20, 1980 referendum. René Lévesque's Parti Québécois was asking Quebecers for a mandate to negotiate "sovereignty-association", an idea that inflamed federalists and separatists alike.

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.

Finally in 1867, the United Canadas joined two other British Colonies, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Dominion of Canada (McRoberts 1991, 413). French-Canadians continued to fight against assimilation and received autonomous privileges with exclusive jurisdiction over matters regarding its cultural distinctiveness***. Thus, the Francophone language and culture has always been at the forefront of Quebec priorities. Since Confederation, Quebec nationalist have felt that the Francophone language and culture has been at risk of assimilation by the rest of Canada. As a result, Quebec nationalism is fundamentally rooted in the preservation of the Francophone language and culture (Guiberneau 2006, 52). Political leaders in Quebec continuously urge for the recognition that Canada is composed of two nations or cultures (McRoberts 1991, 413). Prior to confederation Quebec enjoyed numerous autonomous privileges. Unfortunately, post-confederation Quebec did not enjoy as many autonomous privileges because Canada was created as a relatively centralized federation (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). A centralized federation not only took several of these autonomous powers away from Quebec, but it also threatened the Francophone language and culture (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). With this said, Quebec nationalism has placed a great deal of pressure on the federal government to decentralize, giving more powers to provincial governments.

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