CHAPTER 12: THE QUESTION OF QUEBEC
INTERNET FOCUS QUESTIONS:
Communities: Local, National,
- What were some of the major events that contributed to the growth
of Quebec nationalism and the separatist movement in Quebec from 1967
- What caused the changing relationship between English Canada and Quebec?
Citizenship and Heritage
- What did Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque contribute to the development
of Canadian identity?
Social, Economic, and Political
- How and why did the Canadian government restrict certain rights and
freedoms by invoking the War Measures Act in 1970? What were the short-
and long-term impact of these restrictions on the general population
and on various groups in Canada?
THE FLQ AND THE OCTOBER CRISIS
Trudeau's invoking of the War Measures
Act remains a controversial issue. Research the situation in Quebec
in 1970 and today. Also review United Nations reports on terrorism.
Then debate the issue of whether invoking the War Measures Act was
On October 11, 1970, in a letter to Premier Robert Bourassa,
Pierre Laporte told his premier, "You have the power of life and
death over me, I depend on you and I thank you for it." On October
16, 1970, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his cabinet invoked
the War Measures Act. On October 17, 1970, Pierre Laporte's body
was found in the trunk of an abandoned car.
In this activity, you will research the situation in Quebec in
October 1970, and decide whether Trudeau was justified in declaring
the War Measures Act. When considering the controversy over Trudeau's
action, remember the context of that time in Canadian history.
Review, in Canada: Our Century, Our Story, The FLQ and
the October Crisis (pages 314-315) and Flashpoint: The War Measures
Act (pages 316-317). Then, using the primary sources on the websites
listed below, travel back in time to Quebec and Ottawa in October
of 1970. As you read these documents, try to put yourself in the
shoes of Trudeau and his cabinet as they make their difficult decision
and then face the consequences of that decision. To help you gain
a perspective on terrorism in a global context, read Resolution
1269, which was adopted by the Security Council of the United Nations
at its 4053rd meeting, on October 19, 1999.
After you have completed your research, write on an index card
a concise summary of your argument either for or against
Trudeau's decision. You only have a small space for your argument,
so be sure to select the most significant and convincing points
among your ideas. Plan, draft, and revise your statement carefully.
Then sign and post your card on a Debate Wall on either the For
or Against side.
Once everyone has posted his or her card, read through the arguments
on both sides of the Debate Wall. Take notes on three of the arguments
that oppose your position, and write a paragraph to refute each
argument (three paragraphs in total). You should also consult your
research notes as you plan, draft, and revise your paragraphs.
Use the following questions to focus your research for this activity:
- What options did the Quebec and Canadian governments have during
- What problems did the governments see at the time? What threats
were made in the FLQ's demands and its Manifesto?
- What would have been the consequences (pro and con) of alternative
courses of action?
- What was the global context regarding terrorism at that time?
What was the Canadian context?
- If I had been prime minister at the time, what would I have
done? What would have been the likely outcome of my decision?
- Was the invoking of the War Measures Act justified? What reasons
can I give for my judgment? How would I answer the arguments of
those who take the opposite view to mine?
Visit the following Internet websites to help you in your research:
COMPETING VISIONS OF CANADA
While Trudeau and Lévesque agreed
on the connection between the French language and the survival of
French culture in Canada, they clash on how to ensure that survival.
On the Internet, read speeches of these two orators and note their
arguments for and against separation. Which political leader presented
the stronger arguments?
All politicians make speeches to convince audiences to agree with their
policies and their actions. However, few Canadian politicians were as
gifted in the arts of speaking and argument as were Pierre Trudeau and
In this activity, you will be reading a speech given by each of these
two politicians at crucial moments in their political careers and in the
history of Canada. As you read their speeches (and a series of letters
between the two men), work with a partner to analyse the purpose and intended
audience for each communication. What was the goal in each of the documents
(speeches and letters)? How well did the speaker (or writer) communicate
that goal? How successful is the communication in convincing you of the
soundness of the argument?
Prepare a brief oral presentation on the politician who you believe presented
the more convincing argument for or against the separation
of Quebec. Explain why you have made this judgment. Be sure to use evidence
from the two speeches to support your conclusion.
Review, in Canada: Our Century, Our Story, Competing Visions
of Canada (pages 312-315), The Parti Québécois: A Democratic Option (starting
on page 315), and The Constitution versus the Referendum (starting on
page 323). Follow the process outlined in Historian at Work: Building
an Effective Argument (page 275) to help you analyse the arguments in
Use the following questions as you analyse each of the primary source
documents for this activity:
- What is the purpose of this document?
- Who was the original audience for the document?
- What is the historical context for the document?
- What is the main idea/thesis statement?
- What perspective and bias is in evidence in the document?
- What evidence does the author of the document use to support his
- What appeal is made to history? To logic? To national interests?
- How is the argument organized?
- What style and tone are used in the document?
Read and analyse the following primary documents:
- Prime Minister Trudeau's
Address to the Nation of November 24, 1976
- Premier René Lévesque's 1968 speech "We
- Correspondence between Premier
Lévesque and Prime Minister Trudeau at Claude Bélanger's (Marianopolis
College) Québec History website. Select and link to the following primary
- Letter from René Lévesque to Pierre-Elliott Trudeau, November
- Response of Pierre E. Trudeau to the letter of Lévesque, December
- Telex response of Lévesque to the letter by Trudeau, December
- Reply by Trudeau to the telex by Lévesque, December 4, 1981
- Letter by Lévesque to Trudeau, December 17, 1981
- Telex from Trudeau to Lévesque responding to the letter and the
resolution of December 17, written December 24, 1981