The October Crisis of 1970:

With the F.L.Q. terrorists on the run, this October has been a hectic and frightening month.
Thankfully, the F.L.Q. members were flown to Cuba, where they are being held in isolation in a room,
putting an end to these terrorist attacks. The British diplomat they kidnapped, James Cross, was
also released. This terrible catastrophe will live in Quebec's memory forever, and this day will go
down in history.

The F.L.Q. was founded in 1963 during the Quiet Revolution and all shared the same
conviction which was to make Quebec its own country, by separating the province from the rest of
Canada. Between 1963 and 1970, they were responsible for bombing hundreds of mailboxes and
commiting many robberies. By 1970, twenty of the F.L.Q. members went to prison for their
involvement in these acts of violence. On October 5, 1970, the F.L.Q. kidnapped the British diplomat
James Cross. In order for James Cross to be released, the F.L.Q asked the government for the
release of 23 F.L.Q. “political prisoners,” the broadcast of the F.L.Q. manifesto, half a million dollars
in gold, and a safe passage down to Cuba. The government did not give in so the F.L.Q. retaliated
by kidnapping Pierre Laporte, Quebec’s cabinet minister. In order to stop these acts of terrorism, the
government enforced the War Measures Act because they were in an “uncontrollable apprehended
insurrection.” This act allowed police officers to arrest people and search through homes without
warrants. The police utilized this power to arrest innocent citizens without a reason. Since the
government continued to fight back, the F.L.Q. assassinated Pierre Laporte. The police eventually
found the F.L.Q. members and arrested them for the crimes that they had committed and sent them
to Cuba where they were to be isolated in a room. The police also found and released James Cross.

After the F.L.Q. kidnapped Pierre Laporte, the government enforced the War Measures Act.
This act stated that membership of the F.L.Q. became a criminal act and there were many arrests
being performed without charges. I do not agree with the use of this act because it takes away the
civil liberties of the citizens. The police ended up arresting a total of 497 people, with many of them
being unjustly detained. They arrested anyone who was suspected of being an F.L.Q. member which
takes away an individual's right of free speech. There were many people who did believe in
separatism but would have had to be worried to speak up, in case they got arrested. This act
allowed police searches and arrests without warrants, and prolonged detentions with no charges and
without the right to hire a lawyer. Some of the people that were arrested were released after twenty
one days but most were let go after a few hours with no charges. This shows that the police arrested
many innocent citizens for no reason which evokes a sense of fear in the citizens and gives
tremendous power towards the police. This act was also used in World War 1 and 2 which caused a
lot of division in Canada. This is because it took away the freedom and rights of citizens.

Although there were many citizens of Quebec who disagreed with the F.L.Q. and were
against their actions, there were also many people who supported and encouraged the F.LQ. This is
because the F.L.Q. promoted the Separatist Movement in Quebec and many people agreed that
Quebec should be separate from the rest of Canada. This movement re-emerged in the late 1950s,
which was during a time of great socioeconomic change for the province of Quebec. The
Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale (RIN) became a citizens movement to encourage
Quebec’s independence and became a political party in 1963. The F.L.Q. was committed to
independence but showed their support by performing acts of violence. After the Parti-Quebecois
was formed in 1968, there has been increasing support for the separatist movement. The founder
and head of the political party was René Lévesque and this party supported separatism. As we all
know, the F.L.Q. was severely defeated but this did not stop the growth of the separatist movement
that seems to be rapidly increasing. Overall, theterrorism caused by the F.L.Q. led to serious
tragedies such as the use of the War Measures Act, and the harm of the citizens in Quebec. This
crisis will forever be known as the detrimental October Crisis of 1970.