October Crisis 1970 Analysis

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Quebec was exposed to the possibility of its own national identity. The realization of this identity emerged through events such as the Quiet Revolution, the creation of the Parti Quebecois, and the inherent separatist activism seen through the actions of the Front de Liberation du Quebec. The Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) was generally characterized as a protesting terrorist group who sought French nationality and rallied for independence. Through an examination of the literature, the actions of the FLQ are framed as unjustifiable attacks on British liberalism and the unification of Canada. For example, in the article “Quebec: October 1970”, Laurier LaPierre states the vandalism done throughout the 1960s

This paper examines the historiography of the Front de Liberation du Quebecois within the context of the October Crisis by analyzing the FLQ’s separatist movement, its potential support and the perspectives of those who oppose these ideologies with emphasis on the Trudeau government and its reaction. Was Trudeau’s reaction to the FLQ’s actions justified and was the FLQ accurately depicted during the October Crisis of 1970? I will argue that the perceived historiography of the FLQ was created under the influence of the political question of Quebecois independence and therefore an inaccurate illustration of the Front de Liberation du Quebec was

He defines it as the role of an “arbitrator” responsible for “administrating public affairs.” Pelletier suggests that a democratic society such as Quebec “attempts by all means possible to protect the freedom of individuals…[and] those who dabble in anarchy are convinced…they will increase their freedom.” Also, as Pelletier proposes, extremists both ignore the existing political tools and find them useless to their goals, so instead attempt only to increase the liberty of their own specific group. The FLQ’s separatist movement supports this claim because as illustrated by Jeffrey Ian Ross and Ted Robert Gurr in their article “Why Terrorism Subsides: A Comparative Study of Canada and the United States” the movement was “based on the belief that Quebecois cultural and economic interests were not being adequately served.” However, Pelletier argues by ignoring the existing political tools, the FLQ ignores the foundations of British liberalism heritage in Canada. Violence, therefore, is not a viable form of political protest in Canada. Canadians have been given the tools of voting, freedom of speech, and freedom of the individual and therefore violence is an attack on individual liberties, which the general public must sacrifice as the government ends this violence. Since the FLQ has other options available to them, through the use of violence, they created an unnecessarily