modern quebec has history of political violence, starting with flq terrorists
more recently, security has been beefed up for some politicians because of threats. and the legault government considers the issue so serious it recently introduced legislation targeting people who threaten elected officials.
jul 18 2024
6 minute read
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modern quebec has a history of political violence, starting with the front de libération du québec bombing, kidnapping and killing spree that terrorized the province in the 1960s and 1970s.
the question surfaced this week after an assassination attempt on former u.s. president donald trump.
quebec premier françois legault told reporters the attempt on trump’s life “is worrying for democracy in the united states,” but “ we don’t have that — violence against politicians — in quebec .”
the statement earned him a rebuke from parti québécois leader paul st-pierre plamondon, who reminded legault of two politically motivated shootings in quebec.
he accused legault of lacking ”historical memory on basic facts.”
st-pierre plamondon focused on the 2012 election night shooting at a rally by former pq premier pauline marois, as well as a 1984 attack in the national assembly where a gunman wanted to kill former pq premier rené lévesque.
legault later clarified that what he “wanted to say is that there is currently no polarization or radicalization in quebec.”
yet security has been beefed up for some quebec politicians because of threats. and the legault government considered the issue so serious it recently introduced legislation targeting people who threaten elected officials.
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political violence in modern quebec extends further back than the deadly 1984 shooting spree at the national assembly.
the flq, a violent, radical underground group promoting quebec independence, traumatized the province in the 1960s and early 1970s. it was denounced by political leaders including lévesque, then leader of the separatist parti québécois.
the group was “a homegrown form of terrorism,” journalist louis fournier said in his exhaustive history, flq: histoire d’un mouvement clandestin.
operating between 1962 and 1972, the flq left 10 deaths in its wake, including four members of the group, and caused dozens of injuries, fournier wrote. the flq was responsible for almost 300 bombings, according to his tally.
the highest-profile victim was pierre laporte. in 1970, the flq abducted and killed laporte, quebec’s deputy premier and labour minister.
pierre laporte’s body is taken from the trunk of a chevrolet on oct. 18, 1970.
montreal star
if one were to dig into the distant history of political violence, april 25, 1849 might be cited.
on that day, an english-speaking mob — goaded by tory politicians and english newspapers, including the gazette — set fire to canada’s first permanent parliament building in old montreal.
they were angry about a plan to compensate those whose property was damaged in the 1837-38 armed rebellions, including property owners who had not remained loyal to the government.
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here’s a selective timeline of political violence in modern quebec, with the period between 1963 and 1970 focusing on incidents involving or thought to have involved the flq and its sympathizers:
april 6, 1963 an unexploded bomb, featuring 24 sticks of dynamite, is discovered under the cbc transmission tower on mount royal.
april 20, 1963 a veteran of two wars, wilfrid o’neil, a 65-year-old security guard, is killed by an flq bomb at an armed forces recruitment office at sherbrooke st. and mcgill college ave. on the same day, a stick of dynamite is thrown from a passing car at rcmp headquarters in westmount, shattering windows.
may 17, 1963 ten dynamite-laden mailbox bombs in westmount and montreal are discovered. as he tries to diffuse one of them, sgt-maj. walter (rocky) leja, a 42-year-old military explosives expert, loses his left arm and is paralyzed on his right side. five bombs explode within minutes of each other.
sgt.-maj. walter leja sprawled on the ground after he tried to dispose of a bomb planted by the flq. leja survived the blast.
sunmedia
aug. 28, 1964 leslie mcwilliams, 58, and alfred pinisch, 37, are killed during an attempted robbery at a bleury st. gun store, the international firearms co., where they worked.
july 1, 1965 a bomb goes off outside westmount city hall.
june 3, 1966 a bomb destroys a bathroom at the paul-sauvé arena where 5,000 people have gathered to hear liberal premier jean lesage. the bomb goes off as rené lévesque, quebec’s family and welfare minister at the time, is speaking.
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dec. 31, 1968 two bombs are left at montreal city hall, one of which explodes, smashing windows and doors. it’s the 48th bomb planted in the montreal area over the past year, the montreal star reported.
feb. 13, 1969 an explosion shakes the montreal stock exchange on place victoria. twenty-seven people are injured in the bomb blast.
sept. 29, 1969 a powerful bomb thought to contain 10 sticks of dynamite rips apart the rosemont home of montreal mayor jean drapeau. the mayor isn’t home, but his wife and son are sent scurrying outside. no one was injured. drapeau tells reporters the des plaines ave. house is a total loss.
front page of the montreal star on sept. 29, 1969, after a bomb ripped through the home of mayor jean drapeau.
mon
nov. 20, 1969 a bomb rips apart a section of a building at loyola college in notre-dame-de-grâce, causing $100,000 in damage.
feb. 26, 1970 police foil a plot to kidnap the israeli consul in montreal.
may 31, 1970 five bombs explode near the westmount homes of businesspeople, including peter bronfman. two others are defused. three people are injured, including a nine-year-old girl.
july 12, 1970. montreal police dismantle what they describe as the largest bomb ever planted in the city. it’s discovered by a security guard in a car parked near the bank of montreal on place d’armes.
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front page of the gazette on feb. 14, 1969, after a bomb rocks the montreal stock exchange, injuring 27 people.
mon
oct. 5, 1970 the flq kidnaps british consul james cross from his home on redpath-crescent st. in montreal.
oct. 10, 1970 pierre laporte, a cabinet minister in premier robert bourassa’s liberal government, is abducted from outside his st-lambert home.
oct. 17, 1970 laporte’s body is found stuffed in the trunk of a car. he had been strangled. in a communiqué, the flq says laporte “was executed.” a 1980 quebec government report finds laporte’s killing was “not premeditated” and happened when his kidnappers tried to stop his shouting. in a 1982 memoir, francis simard, an flq member convicted in the death, said: “pierre laporte was killed. it was not accidental.”
dec. 3, 1970 kidnappers release cross in exchange for safe passage to cuba.
march and april 1980 in the run-up to the first referendum on quebec sovereignty, three pipe bombs explode under pro-canada foundation billboards, paid for by a group of large corporations advocating for canadian unity. a fourth bomb is defused. one of the billboards read, in french: “i’m here, i’m staying, for my security.” lévesque had previously attacked the federalist billboards as “scandalous, if not altogether criminal.” no one claims responsibility. police question three former flq members, but they are later released.
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may 8, 1984 denis lortie, a 25-year-old armed forces corporal, storms the national assembly armed with a submachine gun. he was looking to kill then-premier rené lévesque and pq mnas. lévesque’s seat is riddled with bullet holes during the attack. three people are killed and 13 wounded during the five-hour siege.
photo, taken from a television monitor, shows gunman denis lortie, right, in the national assembly in may 1984 as sergeant-at-arms rené jalbert calms the situation.
mon
sept. 12, 2012 as then-premier-elect pauline marois delivers an election night victory speech, richard henry bain attempts to burst into the metropolis theatre in montreal. he shoots dead lighting technician denis blanchette at the back of the venue and seriously injures a second technician, david courage. as he is arrested, bain yells “the english are waking up.” testimony at his trial reveals he had told a psychiatrist that he had wanted to set fire to the venue and “kill as many separatists as possible,” including marois. ten years later, marois calls it a “political attack.” she says she didn’t refer to it that way at the time because she “did not want to exacerbate my relationship with the anglo-quebec community.”
aug. 6, 2020 a 45-year-old man is charged with making online threats against quebec public-health director horacio arruda. the news comes a day after another man was arrested for threatening arruda and legault.
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oct. 21, 2020 police arrest a man for allegedly threatening mayor valérie plante’s life. plante says she received several death threats in 2019 after opposing the legault government’s secularism bill.
sept 1, 2022 liberal mna marwah rizqy tells reporters she has received threats. “he left messages with the police telling them the name of my street and saying ‘you can find her murdered body there,’” she says. a man is arrested.
parti québécois leader pauline marois is taken away by security guards as she addresses political supporters on election night in 2012. outside, a gunman – richard henry bain – has shot dead lighting technician denis blanchette.
the gazette
march 15, 2024 the pq steps up security measures after leader paul st-pierre plamondon receives death threats against him and his family. a man is arrested.
april 10, 2024 the legault government tables a bill under which people who harass or threaten quebec politicians would be hit with a court injunction or a fine of up to $1,500.
sources: the gazette and montreal star archives; flq: histoire d’un mouvement clandestin
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