FLQ Crisis

The Front de Liberation du Quebec Crisis

Primary Group Goal: If you belonged to this group you beleived in a revolutionary group goal that would promote an independent and socialist Quebec. You really wanted freedom for your 'province' from the rest of Canada.

The 1970s: FLQ terrorists kidnapped James Cross who is the British Trade Commissioner was kidnapped at 8.15 a.m. By three p.m. in the afternoon, ransom notes had been received. Five days later Pierre Laporte, who was the Minister of Labour, was kidnapped at his house by another two masked men. From this day there were countless Quebec people who were shocked by this act. Many of the FLQ terrorists had actually trained with the Palestinian terrorists. There were a series of bombings over the past two years as well.

Killings: The body of Pierre Laporte was found in the trunk of a car, so he was killed in the crisis while James Cross was not. His body was found near the St-Hubert airport on the south shore of Montreal. It appeared that he had been killed, on October 17 f this crisis. In responce, there was the War Measures Act. A universal reaction of revulsion and shock was felt over the murder of Pierre Laporte.

Solution? The War Measures Act is an act which allows emergency powers on the federal Cabinet level to govern by decree when it perceives the existence of "war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended." The Act was proclaimed in force with detailed regulations limiting the freedom of Canadians during both world wars. More limited emergency legislation, the was put into use and occurred in October and November 1970. There was a declared state of "apprehended insurrection" due to the hostage taking and threats that occured admist the crisis. Afterwards Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pledged to refine and limit the application of the Act in internal crises, but by the time of the Liberal defeat in 1984 the Act had not been modified. Finally, in 1988, a more detailed and limited law, the Emergencies Act, was passed into effect.