1. FLQ/October Crisis S. Todd

2. Political Change 1968 – a new Quebec political party formed called Parti Québécois – Its aim was to promote sovereignty – or political independence –from the rest of Canada – Leader was René Lévesque – Believed in separatism

3. FLQ (Front du Liberation du Quebec) Lévesque’s Parti Quebecois planned to achieve independence for Quebec by peaceful, democratic means – But other separatist groups such as the FLQ used more extreme measures -eg. Bombs, terrorism, etc.

4. Kidnapping With little support, FLQ weren’t taken very seriously until… October 5, 1970: James Cross, a British diplomat, was kidnapped from his Montreal home

5. Ultimatum In exchange for Cross’s safe release, the FLQ demanded: 1. Government must release FLQ members serving sentences for criminal acts; 2. To broadcast the FLQ’s manifesto (political goals) on the radio; 3. To grant the kidnappers safe passage to another country

6. Ultimatum Federal and Quebec governments agreed to broadcast the manifesto and to let the kidnappers leave the country but refused to release FLQ criminals from jail In response, on October 10, the FLQ kidnapped Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte Trudeau decided to take drastic action…

7. The War Measures Act It’s baaaack! The War Measures Act…

8. Trudeau said a potentially revolutionary situation existed in Quebec and he asked Parliament to impose the War Measures Act to give the government more power to “deal with the situation”

9. War Measures Act Invoked Gave the government special powers such as: Membership in the FLQ became a criminal offense Any person could be arrested and detained without being charged with an offence Every person in Canada lost normal civil rights, such as the right to consult a lawyer and refuse to talk to police

10. October 16, 1970: troops began to control Montreal and Ottawa streets Hundreds of pro-separatist Quebeckers arrested in pre-dawn raids Some people questioned these tactics but Trudeau deemed them necessary in order to combat terrorism

11. Murder The next day, an abandoned car was found with the dead body of Pierre Laporte He had been strangled Increased pressure on government to crack down on FLQ and find James Cross (still in hostage)

12. Two months later, James Cross was found, the kidnappers permitted safe passage to Cuba, and those detained under the War Measures Act were released Long-term effects: some argued that the use of the War Measures Act increased support for separatism. Also, it was clear that the issue of Quebec’s place in Canada was a pressing problem that needed to be addressed