Quebec

Two separate kidnappings, both in the name of political terrorism, started a chain of events which ultimately lead to the activation of the War Measures Act and the Public Order (Temporary Measures) Act on Friday, October 1970. These two measures, which appear controversial only in retrospect, lead to the establishment of a police state in Quebec. The first kidnapping had occurred on Monday, October 5, when the FLQ took James Cross, the British Trade Commissioner in Montreal. The second kidnapping followed five days later, as Pierre Laporte, a powerful member of the Quebec cabinet, was taken from a suburb of Montreal. It is important for the argument to follow that, although this second kidnapping was a response by the FLQ to the government's refusal to release "political prison

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epeatedly, the media and Canadian citizens were overwhelmingly on the side of Trudeau's efforts to squelch the FLQ by any means necessary. Unfortunately, civil liberties were also squelched. Trudeau attempted to reassure the public that the extraordinary powers given to the police, and the suspension of the Canadian Bill of Rights, were necessary actions so that lives and liberty would not be lost at the hands of those who advocate the use of violence. In the October 16 speech it is also important to note that Trudeau was advocating that political change come about only through peaceful utilization of the political process. Much of his speech is given to praising the political process and insisting that people work to affect change within its limits, but it is clear that if terrorists are intent on their mission, working within the system is not going to be their first priority. Much of what he says has a hollow ring, as if he is trying to convince himself that a suspension of Canadian rights is justified. Berger aptly notes that Trudeau had once regarded the arbitrary arrest and subsequent servitude of Canadians (during the dark days of the Duplessis era) as an outrage. Berger reports that, in 1958, Trudeau had written i
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Approximate Word count = 1268
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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