Download Trudeau invokes the War Measures Act (WMA). This gives the police

Liberation Front of
Quebec
They believed French
in Quebec had been
exploited by the
English bosses.
In 1960s FLQ turned
to violence – bombing
symbols of the
Canadian gov’t. They
wanted independence
for Quebec
October 1970 – The FLQ
kidnaps James Cross
(British Trade
Commissioner). They
demand $500 000 gold,
release of 23 prisoners,
and their Manifesto must
be read on TV in Quebec
A few days later,
Quebec Cabinet minster
Pierre Laporte is
abducted.
PM Trudeau ordered the
army into Ottawa, Montreal
and Quebec city to guard
buildings and political
leaders.
Premiere of Que.
Robert Bourassa
asked for help from
the federal gov’t.
Trudeau invokes the War
Measures Act (WMA). This
gives the police the power to
arrest and search without
warrants.
The next day the body of Pierre Laporte is
found in the trunk of car near the airport.
Under the WMA the police arrest 497
people suspected of being part of the FLQ.
Those responsible for Killing Laporte are
arrested. Those responsible for kidnapping
Cross negotiate safe passage to Cuba in
exchange for releasing Cross.
October 5, 1970British Trade Commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in Montreal, Quebec. Ransom
demands from the Liberation cell of the FLQ included the release of 23 "political prisoners," $500,000 in
gold, broadcast and publication of the FLQ Manifesto, and an aircraft to take the kidnappers to Cuba or
Algeria.
October 6, 1970 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa agreed that decisions
on the FLQ demands would be made jointly by the federal government and the Quebec provincial
government. The FLQ Manifesto, or excerpts of it, was published by several newspapers. Radio station
CKAC received threats that James Cross would be killed if FLQ demands were not met.
October 7, 1970 Quebec Justice Minister Jerome Choquette said he was available for negotiations. The
FLQ Manifesto was read on CKAC radio.
October 8, 1970The FLQ Manifesto was read on the CBC French network Radio-Canada.
October 10, 1970The Chenier cell of the FLQ kidnapped Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte.
October 11, 1970Premier Bourassa received a letter from Pierre Laporte pleading for his life.
October 12, 1970The Army was sent in to guard Ottawa.
October 15, 1970The Quebec government invited the Army into Quebec to help local police. A ProFlq
rally of 3000 students at the Paul Sauve Arena
October 16, 1970Prime Minister Trudeau announced the proclamation of the War Measures Act,
emergency legislation dating from World War I.
October 17, 1970The body of Pierre Laporte was found in the trunk of a car at the airport in St.-Hubert,
Quebec.
November 2, 1970 The Canadian federal government and the Quebec provincial government together
offered a reward of $150, 000 for information leading to the arrest of the kidnappers.
Novemeber 6, 1970 Police raided the hideout of the Chenier cell, and arrested Bernard Lortie. Other cell
members escaped.
November 9, 1970The Quebec Justice Minister asked for the Army to stay in Quebec for another 30 days.
December 3, 1970James Cross was released after police discovered where he was being held and the FLQ
were given assurance of their safe passage to Cuba. Cross had lost weight, but said he was not physically
mistreated.
December 4, 1970Federal Justice Minister John Turner said the exiles to Cuba would be for life. Five FLQ
members received passage to Cuba - Jacques Cossette-Trudel, Louise Cossette-Trudel, Jacques Lanctôt,
Marc Carbonneau and Yves Langlois. They later moved to France. Eventually all returned to Canada and
served short jail terms for kidnapping.
December 24, 1970Troops were withdrawn from Quebec.
December 28, 1970Paul Rose, Jacques Rose and Francis Simard, the remaining three members of the
Chenier cell, were arrested. With Bernard Lortie, they were charged with kidnapping and murder. Paul
Rose and Francis Simard later received life sentences for murder. Bernard Lortie was sentenced to 20 years
for kidnapping. Jacques Rose was initially acquitted, but later convicted of being an accessory and
sentenced to eight years in prison.
February 3, 1971 A report from Justice Minister John Turner on the use of the War Measures Act said
497 people were arrested. Of these, 435 were released, 62 were charged, 32 without bail.
July 1980A sixth person, Nigel Barry Hamer, was charged in the kidnapping of James Cross. He was later
convicted and sentenced to 12 months in jail.
VIEWS OF THE CRISIS
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/40-years-later-security-and-the-flq/article4328160/?page=all
The opposition leader
Then the federal NDP leader, Tommy Douglas was a prominent and early opponent of
the War Measures Act, which he called "overkill on a gargantuan scale."
From his speech in Parliament on Nov. 4, 1970, explaining why his party voted against
the act: "I have no hesitation in saying that those of us who voted against that motion did
so for two reasons: first, because we have not been given any evidence that there was a
state of apprehended insurrection in this country and, second, because we could not
approve the regulations enacted under the War Measures Act because they deprive
Canadian citizens so extensively of basic civil liberties … as a member of Parliament
standing in my place I have no right to restrict the liberties of 21 million Canadians
without adequate proof."
The minister
The late Trudeau-era cabinet minister Eric Kierans wrote in his 2001 memoirs: "There
was no secret knowledge that explained the imposition of war measures. Everything we
were told in cabinet came from the streets outside.
"… None of the secret police raids turned up the guns, rifles, machine guns, bombs or
dynamite, although they did sweep up Pauline Julien, who sang separatist songs. … It
was Tommy Douglas of the NDP who stood in the House, day after day, and hammered
the government for suspending civil liberties, and if you ask me today why I wasn't up
there beside him I can only say, damned if I know. He showed political courage of the
highest order."
The journalist
In his book Here Be Dragons, Telling Tales of People, Power, Passion, Peter C. Newman
wrote that Pierre Trudeau lied to him about a conspiracy to set up a provisional parallel
government that would replace Robert Bourassa - only to discredit the story that Mr.
Newman had been urged to write:
"I felt angry and cheated by Trudeau's revisionist version of events. I hadn't been in
Ottawa for a dozen years without becoming inured to the fact that prime ministers lie. …
Then the penny began to drop. If the prime minister could reverse himself so casually,
then the entire scenario had been a meticulously concocted lie. … The only apprehended
insurrection the PM had going for him was the puny parallel government rumour in my
story, which was not an insurrection, nor had it been apprehended, since it never got
started."
The Mountie bossPolitical scientist Reg Whitaker's 1993 Queen's Quarterly article,
Apprehended Insurrection? RCMP Intelligence and the October Crisis, suggests the
RCMP were unwilling participants:
"The reality is that the RCMP never asked for the War Measures Act, were not consulted
as to its usefulness, and would have opposed it if they had been asked their opinion.
"Two days before the invocation of the War Measures Act, a meeting of the Cabinet
Committee on Security and Intelligence heard RCMP Commissioner William Higgitt
suggest that the best course was to continue investigations 'as at present.' He added that a
'broad sweep and preventive detention of suspects' would be counterproductive, leading
to 'massive problems.' "
Rhéal Séguin
Selections from the recently published anthology Trudeau's Darkest Hour (Baraka
Books), edited by political scientists Guy Bouthillier and Édouard Cloutier.