The September Crisis Of Canada

From the overthrowing of the Russian Tsar to the exile of the Nationalists, the world has been in a state where radical movements have been the main focus of citizens, even in democratic societies. The October Crisis was one of these extraordinary events that had occurred. It was a period of international and national revolutionary movements that used violent acts against constitutional measures. The 1970 October Crisis was a pivotal moment that had an undeniable and lasting impact on Canadians as it revealed the wisdom of Trudeau’s decision to enact the War Measures Act, demonstrated that the FLQ (a left-winged terrorist organization) was not a good representative of the French-Canadians, and it

Under the sweeping authority of the act, 465 Canadians were so rounded up. A day later, on Saturday October 17th, the body of Pierre Laporte was found stuffed in the trunk of a green Chevrolet. In Ottawa, government sources said the FLQ assassinated Laporte because War Measures was enacted. The tension that night was palpable. John Turner, the minister of justice, looked distraught. In his office, Trudeau ministers Gerard Pelletier and Jean Marchand were weeping openly at the death of an old friend and colleague. Early in December 1970, police discovered the location of the kidnappers holding James Cross. He was released after his FLQ captors were given safe passage to Cuba. Four weeks later Paul Rose and the kidnappers of Pierre Laporte were found in the corner of a country basement. They were tried and convicted for kidnapping and murder. The October Crisis was the first time in Canadian history the state itself, both in Ottawa and in Quebec City, was held to ransom by extremists and terrorists. It was also the first time, in peace time, that Ottawa invoked War Measures. It was a drastic step to take and one laced with very dangerous side effects. In the guilt-by-association atmosphere engendered by War Measures hysteria, the terrorism and extremism of the separatist FLQ tarnished all separatist movements in Quebec. Also, Rene

In the history of Canadian government, two scandals have brought down two federal governments in Canada since confederation. The Pacific Scandal in1873 under the leadership of John A. Macdonald and the Sponsorship Scandal in 1995 under Jean Chrétien both led to the demise of each government. The Sponsorship Scandal, which began in 1995, was a more serious scandal due to the legal, ethical and long lasting political ramifications of the scandal.

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 crisis involved members of the terrorist organization Front de liberation du Quebec (FLQ) . They started placing bombs in random public places. The majority of these terrorist were nationalist from Quebec to achieve the goal separation from the federation. These attacks resulted the abduction James Cross a British diplomat and Pierre Laporte, a minister in the provincial government. These had some demands which included a ransom of $500,000.Trudeau refused to meets these demands since it would only lead to more attacks and greater demands.

Plenty of the Québécois had dissenting opinions on how they would achieve their final goal, and one of these opinons, was to refer to terrorism. A group of people that were known as the Front de Libération du Quebec, thought that an independent could only be achieved through the usage of violence, and thus started a small period of terror in the province. On the 7th of March, 1963, a railroad bombing, orchestrated by the FLQ took place

How did the October Crisis of 1970 affect Canada? Did Canada do the right things during this time? The October Crisis of 1970, some people may say that it was too great of a loss, but it was also a significant event that affected the country positively and negatively. It impacted Canada's national security which is a very important part of Canada moving forward, it also was the first major terrorist attack on Canadian soil and this caused the only use of the War Measures Act during peacetime. Canada’s national security is a crucial element to keeping the country safe, however Canada’s national security has changed greatly over the years.

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

The relationship between the Canadian government and Quebec has been in constant turmoil for years. This paper will discuss and critique Quebec’s five demands made in 1986 by the Liberal government and their current implications. Reasonable demands are ones in which a limited amount of asymmetrical federalism grants provincial sovereignty. Currently all provinces have certain guaranteed rights, however Quebec’s rights provide more autonomy. Quebec, though home to the largest population of French speaking Canadians, have asked too much of the Government of Canada. This is evident Quebec’s increased control over immigration, Supreme Court Justices appointment, and their veto on future constitutional negotiations. Conversely, the demand of recognizing Quebec as a distinct society is however reasonable and has been accommodated into Canadian society, and the ability to restrict federal spending power keeps the federal power in check. In this essay, I will discuss each demand, and argue whether or not it is reasonable.

During the trek to Ottawa, Prime Minister Bennett and his government escalated the peaceful assembly to a violent riot. According to first hand accounts of the Regina riot, “Guns were firing. Guess who had the guns? [Bennett] wanted to discredit the trek and he did. Oh, yes, he succeeded. We were, in the eyes of a lot of people, just a bunch of Reds” (Broadfoot 2). This suggests that the Federal government made the unfounded assumption that the assembly was a Communist uprising and felt the need to eliminate the threat at any cost. In addition, the Federal Government allegedly set up the riot by having the railways “complain that the men were trespassing” (Waiser 4) to justify government intervention. With the amount of influence and reach

The Quebec City mayor sent reinforcements from Ottawa to help control the rioting, which had been going on for two days. On the Easter Monday the crowds organized against the military presence in the city. Armed rioters started to fire at the troops and vise versa. There was an estimated four men killed by the fire and dozens injured. These riots represent one of the most violent disturbances in Canadian history. These riots erupted over conscription, which grew from how things were before in French Canadian nationalism. The military crackdown that lasted in Quebec until the end of the war resulted in an increase in state power in the growing of French Canadian nationalism. These riots over the conscription and the French Canadians sticking to their ways lead to a many difficult and unpleasant times in Quebec.

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

Within Quebec tensions and emotions ran high as families, friends and neighbours passionately debated "Oui" (supporting separation) or "Non" (opposing separation).” ("Oui" or, 2001) This shows that the Quebec’s population was even in conflict at the time to separate or not. This must have impacted emotionally as people began choosing sides. This proves that Quebec population wasn’t even sure to split or not because the people had opinions on both sides of the matter since, their people were people on both sides of the spectrum. The population was influenced by the FLQ since there was both people who were against it and people who sympathized with them. The media influence the population until the death of a hostage and it is projected by the government; “Several members of the Quebec National Assembly and government ministers criticized the media sharply. The Liberal Party whip, Louis-Philippe Lacroix, accused the journalists of being responsible for the death of Pierre Laporte; he labeled them the gravediggers of

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

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.