The purpose of government is to create peace and order to maintain a functioning society. Legislation from the federal government of Canada is to do exactly that, but at what point does the law over state its presence and harm the people it attempts to protect? The October Crisis that occurred in 1970 under the Trudeau government is one such contentious issue: while it may have been supported by some it was highly criticized for damaging human rights in a democratic society. Essentially martial law was produced and the effects of the October Crisis caused a developed nation to take a step backward in their work to create and maintain a safe, functioning democratic state: a democratic state became a despotic driven country in a momentary lapse due to a fear driven decision.
To understand the October Crisis and the implementation of the War Measures Act a brief look at the incidents preceding the kidnapping must be acknowledged. The English and French societies of Canada have a deep history of malcontent, but an ever growing form of acceptance has culminated between the two co-existing nations. Since the time of confederation there have been citizens within the province of Quebec that have felt oppressed by the ever dominant Anglo society and felt that Quebec should be an independent nation; upon this basis of independence the Parti Quebecois was created, along with the FLQ (Front Liberation du Quebec). Preceding the kidnappings of James Cross, a British Diplomat, and Pierre Laporte, the French Labour Minister, a history of violence had already been atypical of the FLQ .
The FLQ was created during a period of time known as the Quiet Revolution; the Quiet Revolution was directly linked to the Liberal party, led by Jean Lesage, comin...
... middle of paper ...
...he public of Canada, but it was supported by-and-large by the Canadian public: who is then to blame?
The time of the October Crisis was one full of contention. The newly elected Trudeau coupled with an inactivity of terrorist movements in Canada created an egregious situation. The actions taken by the Canadian Government were supported largely by the citizens of Canada, but were based upon dubious factual evidence, thus the legitimacy of the implementation of the War Measures Act during a time of peace is put into question. This decision created a stain upon the Trudeau administration as he had little to base his position on. Although the motion to enact the War Measures Act was democratically passed, Canada itself became a nation ruled in despotic manner: democracy had taken a step backwards as civil liberties were tarnished and national security took precedence.
...e to power in Quebec. This indicates that Quebecers supported non-violent methods in order to achieve independence for Quebec, rather than the violent methods of the FLQ, also indicating that the efforts of the FLQ would have been subdued by the Parti Quebecois. The death of Pierre Laporte was another unfortunate occurrence as a result of the War Measures Act which could have been avoided, yet some still believe his death is not related to the invocation of the War Measures Act. Justification is required for all actions which spark debate, and in events where the justification is provided under false pretences, someone must be held responsible. In this case it remains the Trudeau government. Trudeau may have had an admirable political career in which he made many wise decisions, however, the invocation of the War Measures Act in October 1970 was not one of them.
“René Lévesque's Separatist Fight." CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
A century ago, Canada was under control by the British Empire. The battles we fought the treaties we signed and the disputes we solved all helped us gain independence from our mother country “Britain”. Canadians fought a long battle protecting others, and from these battles we gained our peaceful reputation and our independence from Britain. Canada became a nation on July, 1st 1867. Although we were an independent country, our affairs and treaties were all still signed by Britain. In the next years Canada would establish its own government, and lead its own affairs. Many important events led to Canada’s independence, one of the earliest signals that Canada wanted to establish autonomy was the Chanak affair of 1921. In addition the battle of Normandy, which occurred on June 6 1944, contributed to the autonomy of Canada. The Suez Canal Crisis, which took place in the year 1956, earned Canada a place in the media spotlight, displaying Canada as a peaceful country that deserves the right to be independent. One of the final steps that aided with Canada’s independence from Britain was the Canada Act of 1982. Independence from Britain steadily increased throughout the 20th century because of political decisions made in Canada.
Armed radicalists in the streets of Quebec, Nation wide panic, an insurmountable evil. The imagery of the 1970 October Crisis is clear. Perhaps almost excessively so. The crisis, beginning on October 5th 1970 stretching over a period of three months, would go on to become a landmark example of the state of french Canada, as well as the most hotly debated topic in Canadian legal history. The ordeal began when members of a radical separatist group, the Front de libération du Québec, or FLQ, kidnapped James Cross, a British consul in order to gain political notoriety and the attention of the Canadian population . The FLQ had the intention of making various demands (The reading of their manifesto on national television, safe passage to Cuba to
Canada experienced the revolution of changing politics and new ideologies, it was a necessary wave
On October 5, 1970, British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in his Westmount home by members of the terrorist group Front de liberation du Quebec. The FLQ Manifesto called for non-democratic separation to be brought about by acts of terror. From 1963 to 1967, the FLQ planted 35 bombs; from 1968 to 1970 they planted over 50 bombs. By the fall of 1970 the terrorist acts of the FLQ cells had claimed 6 lives. The kidnappers' demands included the release of a number of convicted or detained FLQ members and the broadcasting of the FLQ Manifesto. The Manifesto was read on Radio-Canada. Then, on October 10th, the Quebec minister of justice guaranteed safe passage to anywhere in the world for the kidnappers in exchange for the safe release of Cross. That same day Pierre Laporte, a famed Quebec reporter, author of The True Face of Duplessis, and the minister of immigration and labour in the Quebec government, was kidnapped by a different FLQ cell on the lawn of his suburban home. Laporte's kidnapping triggered a phone call from Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa asking Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to prepare the Canadian Armed Forces for action in Quebec and to declare War Measures. Two days later, October 12, Trudeau summoned armed troops to guard potential targets in Ottawa and Montreal such as cabinet ministers, John Diefenbaker, who was on the FLQ hit list, and federal buildings. On the following day, October 13, Peter Reilly of CJOH and I were at the west door of the Centre Block of the House of Commons. Reilly was asking Trudeau some basic questions in a laconic, unemotional style about the army and tanks being in Ottawa. Suddenly we were joined by CBC reporter Tim Ralfe who asked Trudeau a very emotional question about his decision to invoke the War Measures Act. Pierre Trudeau interview
The Quebec referendum that was held in 1995 was a second round of vote that was meant to give the residents of the Quebec province in Canada the chance to determine whether they wanted to secede from Canada and thus establish Quebec as a sovereign state. Quebec has had a long history of wanting to secede from Canada, considering that it is the Canadian providence that is predominantly inhabited by the French-speaking people, whose political relationship with the rest of the Canadian provinces, mostly inhabited by the English-speaking people has been characterized by conflicting ideologies . Thus, the 1995 referendum was not the first political attempt to have Quebec gain its own independence. The discussion holds that the Quebec 1995 referendum would have had both positive and negative implications. Therefore, this discussion seeks to analyze the political consequences that would have f...
Trudeau had to work quickly and efficiently in order to locate Cross before he was hurt, as well as make very difficult decisions. He chose to enact the War Measures Act because the FLQ appeared as a real threat at the time which could potentially overthrow the government. The various attacks that they planned before injured and killed innocent lives, and Trudeau was not going to stand and do nothing. Furthermore, the support of the FLQ was growing large at the time, with about 3000 people gathering up at the Paul Sauvé Arena during the October Crisis in order to show their support. If Trudeau did not diminish this revolution, it may have grown into an actual terrorist threat at
Canada’s parliamentary system is designed to preclude the formation of absolute power. Critics and followers of Canadian politics argue that the Prime Minister of Canada stands alone from the rest of the government. The powers vested in the prime minister, along with the persistent media attention given to the position, reinforce the Prime Minister of Canada’s superior role both in the House of Commons and in the public. The result has led to concerns regarding the power of the prime minister. Hugh Mellon argues that the prime minister of Canada is indeed too powerful. Mellon refers to the prime minister’s control over Canada a prime-ministerial government, where the prime minister encounters few constraints on the usage of his powers. Contrary to Mellon’s view, Paul Barker disagrees with the idea of a prime-ministerial government in Canada. Both perspectives bring up solid points, but the idea of a prime-ministerial government leading to too much power in the hands of the prime minister is an exaggeration. Canada is a country that is too large and complex to be dominated by a single individual. The reality is, the Prime Minister of Canada has limitations from several venues. The Canadian Prime Minister is restricted internally by his other ministers, externally by the other levels of government, the media and globalization.
The discrimination suffered by the “ethnic Canadians” increased during the war was inflicted by both society and the government. An example of the discrimination suffered by “ethnic Canadians” is Sarah Mann, a Canadian-German living though World War 1. Before the people of the town knew she was of German descent, she lived a normal life. But, that all changed when they found out; they vandalized her house by breaking the windows, painting harsh words in red paint or blood, which is overall person to person discrimination. However, throughout the war, it was not just the Canadian-Germans who suffered from discrimination, all ethnicities either than English-Canadian or French-Canadian. Also, they did not only receive discrimination through vandalism, and other person to person discrimination, “ethnic Canadians” faced discrimination by the Canadian government. The governments’ discrimination was caused by the pressure of frightened public experiencing panic because of the Great War. Therefore, the government took action by passing the Wartime Elections Act and the Wartime Measures Act. The Wartime Elections act meant the “ethnic Canadians” would lose their right to vote. The “ethnic Canadians” would also be put into concentration camps or have to register to the police on a regular basis. The historical significance...
The post-war time was a period where major changes were occurring. After being involved in two international conflicts, Canada was ready to reestablish their economy. During this time, Canada had started working on ways to become stronger and reputable. It is evident that Canada had matured through the post-war era. Canada’s economic progress left a positive impact on the growth of the country as consumerism became popular, and economic ties with America became stronger. Moreover, the removal of racial and ethical barriers contributed to Canadian social affairs such as the huge wave of immigration and the baby boom. The Canadian government also had become more aware and involved in issues impacting Canadian citizens. Canada as a whole started identifying itself as an independent nation and participating in events that brought a positive reputation amongst them. These economical, social, and legal changes helped Canada mature into the country it is today.
“Over the past century, Canadian attitudes towards the use of force and the exercise of military power in support of national aims have fundamentally shifted”. This is a quote written by Major Todd Strickland in his article, titled, “From the Boers to the Taliban: How Canadians Attitudes towards War Have Changed”. This article reviews Canada’s history within the wars and also Canadian’s thoughts on war. The Afghan war began in 2001 and is still ongoing today. The war began due to the terrorist attacks that took place in the United States on September 11th, 2001, also known as 9/11. The purpose of this war was to invade Afghanistan and to disassemble an organization, known as the al-Qaeda terrorist organization. Another objective was to dismantle the Taliban government. The Taliban government was simply to blame for the deaths of so many Americans on 9/11. The leader, brains and financial support behind this organization was one by the name of Osama bin Laden. Because his country did not surrender him, the United States made the decision to declare war on Afghanistan and fight for those who lost their lives in 9/11. Canada became involved in the Afghan War very quickly after the attacks of 9/11. Because the Afghanistan war is a war that is constantly covered by the media, it makes the information overwhelming. To narrow the topic down, this paper will focus mainly on the Canadian’s involvement in the Afghanistan war. Violent political wars have been reoccurring for as long as anyone can remember, and the intensity of this violence continues to rise. The magnitude of political violence involved, the main interpretations on the causes of political violence, and the prospects for conflict resolution are all topics that will be covered...
Prime Minister Diefenbaker was greatly distressed with the fact that the U.S. had chosen not to consult Canada about their plans for the Cuban Missile crisis. He was frustrated because it showed a lack of respect, it did not allow Canada sufficient time to prepare, and he was not sure if the U.S. was simply overreacting. This showed great disrespect to Canada, as Canada was the U.S.’s biggest ally. Through Canada’s commitment to NORAD and NATO, Canada was required to be consulted based on signed documents within the NORAD agreement. Consultation was necessary as Canada was the only country in the western hemisphere that shared a close military alliance with the Americans. While the situation was being monitored in Cuba, the President had time to consult Canada, but chose not to, as he saw Diefenbaker’s government as a ‘trivial slide show’. This crisis had serious implications for all of North America; Canadians found themselves at the brink of nuclear war without their consent and helpless to influence the course of events. Canada had no opportunity to offer its own vi...
Litt, P. (2008). Trudeaumania: Participatory democracy in the mass-mediated nation. Canadian Historical Review. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.msvu.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2e7569a4-6d07-4605-ba6e-d62d4610b781%40sessionmgr198&vid=6&hid=103
May, E. (2009). Losing Confidence: Power, politics, and the crisis in Canadian democracy. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.