October Crisis 40 years ago today

Forty (40) Years Ago Today, Tuesday ,October 5th ,1970 the October Crisis starts
A gloomy period of history for the La Belle Province...
watch a NFB film on the October Crisis


Je Me Souvien How about you............ HF&RV

Again in the 40 years ago today category (sorry Glenn) lol

                                            Forty years ago today, what is now remembered as the October Crisis started with the abduction of British diplomat James Richard Cross, by Front de liberation du Quebec terrorists purporting to act in the name of Quebec secession and socialist revolution. On Oct. 10, Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte was also abducted while playing ball with his nephew on the front lawn of his home. He would be assassinated by his kidnappers on Oct. 17.

In Quebec as elsewhere, myths are persistent, especially when they are used to mask the weaknesses of nationalist ideology and the errors of judgment of the movement they support. The deformation of the memory of the October Crisis is one of the most obvious examples of such historical revisionism. Indeed, the assassins and supporters of violence have become victims, while the defendants of the rule of law have been renamed as oppressors.

As Talleyrand said: "In politics, what is believed becomes the truth." This interpretation dictated by a certain separatist leadership, through ignorance, carelessness, irresponsibility or for the benefit of their cause, in fact contributes to the trivialization of violence and its consequences in a democratic society.

In his October Crisis 1970: An Insider's View (McGill-Queen's University Press (2007), freshly published this week in French by Editions Heritage and re-edited by Mc-Gill-Queen's in paperback), William Tetley, law professor at McGill University, minister in the Bourassa cabinet during the crisis, has succeeded in brilliantly taming the most commonly held myths about the October Crisis.

It is high time that all Canadians be reminded that:

The FLQ terrorists, who from 1963 until the summer of 1970, killed six people while committing more than 200 bombings and thefts -including the 1969 bombing of the Montreal Stock Exchange, which ripped through the facade of the building leaving 27 wounded -were not "political" prisoners.

Pierre Trudeau and Bourassa were right not to negotiate with criminals; history will recognize their courageous struggle against those who threatened the rule of law through violence and blackmail, thereby jeopardizing the democratic process.

The 16 "eminent personalities," including Rene Levesque, Jacques Parizeau, Claude Ryan, and union leaders, who signed the petition of Oct. 14, 1970, calling for negotiations with the terrorists and the release of "political prisoners," instead of a clear and unequivocal request for the unconditional and immediate release of the two hostages, provided valuable de-facto support for the terrorists, rather than siding with Bourassa's freshly elected government.

It was the Quebec government, not the federal government, that, with the unanimous support of the leaders of the three opposition parties in the National Assembly at the time -including Camille Laurin, parliamentary leader of the Parti Quebecois -called on Oct. 15 for reinforcements from the Val Cartier Vandoos regiment of the Canadian Army to help the Quebec police authorities track those who had defied democracy by their crimes and calls to violence. At all times, the Canadian soldiers took orders and reported to the chief of the Surete du Quebec.

It was at Levesque's insistence that Laurin was forced to renege on his clear support a few hours later. Levesque would further humiliate Laurin when on Oct. 30, he would finally publicly declare in his Journal de Montreal daily column, that calling in the army was the "right decision." Soon thereafter, as correctly noted by Daniel Poliquin in his recent book, Rene Levesque (Boreal, 2009), Levesque repositioned yet again, now "accusing Trudeau of exaggerating the scale of the threat, and exploiting the hostage crisis to Ottawa's advantage. A clever counter-attack aimed at demonizing the federal government and allowing the separatist movement to shed responsibility, while also launching October revisionism, a much profitable industry to this day."

The implementation of the War Measures Act on Oct. 16 was not an all-out assault on civil rights and political liberty, but rather prohibited support for the violent acts of the FLQ. Freedom of expression, even to denounce the act, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly were at all times preserved. For instance, student assemblies, including those that warmly applauded the announcement of Pierre Laporte's assassination, were not prohibited. Union and PQ leaders continued to meet and make public declarations throughout the period. The media were never impeded in their duties, quite the contrary, they sometimes exacerbated the crisis.

It is from these moments onward that the terrorists were subdued, the escalation of violence halted, and democracy restored.

As early as March 1971, all people unjustly incarcerated during the October Crisis (103 individuals of the total 497 apprehended) were afforded a right to an entirely independent process before the Quebec ombudsman, and received compensation up to $30,000 in 1971 dollars from the Quebec government.

Canadians -and foremost among them the citizens of the province of Quebec -overwhelmingly approved these actions at the time, without reserve, deeming them necessary to counter the insurgents and restore order.

                     ...we all remember it well ,it was a gloomy time for LaBelleProvince indeed --HF&RV--

Seville Theater is Done -More Montreal History Disappears- C'est le vie I guess

                        So long, dearie, dearie, should have said so long, so long ago.

The Seville Theatre, that once venerable cinema palace, is falling down. Literally.

After decades of neglect, the bulldozers arrived this morning and are in the process of yanking out the steel girders and tearing down the front wall. 

 The whole place will be gone by nightfall.

My homeless friends, who are parked on the sidewalk when I walk by on my way to and from work every day, have already begun migrating to new patches in this woebegone end of Ste. Catherine St.

Now they really need to move on.

Walking by this morning, I was reminded of my first days as a columnist -- in those days, I was writing the city column. On my second day on the job, I wrote this piece about Janet MacKinnon, who was campaigning to save the theatre.

Even then, the Seville was already in a desperate state of mould and pigeons, but it could have been saved if the city had the energy and the means.

But Montreal, was in dire financial shape in the 1980s and early 1990s, barely staying afloat.

Fare thee well.

              ............and so we face the final curtain,   

First Steps of the Automobile

Here is my translation of the text on the bottom of this april 1st 1899 La Patrie article:

     THE AUTOMIBILE OF THE FUTURE - DRIVERS LEARNING THEIR TRADE

"The automobile has made considerable progress in France in the last 2 years. The gasoline driven automobile has no more vibrations and do not make any noise. We do not believe that the electricity will replace the gasolline to power the motor in the near future: an automobile with a gasoline engine can travel a long distance, while an electic driven automobile can only travel 60 to 80 kilometers without recharging. A machine activated by a mineral fuel can travel 1000 kilometers. However, it is hoped that progress and development of electricity will permit the automobile owner an extraordinary performance. The automobile manufacturers have more orders than they can supply. According to the new regulations of the state council, the speed cannot surpass 16 kilometers per hour, The inspectors will have autotricycles."

It is interesting to note that the debate was already on concerning gasoline versus electricity and that the speed limit was 16 km per hour and motorcycles where called autotricycles in 1899. I have added the photo in my Album no. 33 with other antique cars.

Guy

 

 

3 wounded in Lasalle shooting

MONTREAL - Three men were wounded Sunday in a shootout outside a reception hall in LaSalle.

The gunfire erupted about 4 a.m. after a party in the hall on Lafleur Ave. near Clément St., Montreal police constable Raphaël Bergeron said.

                             Two male victims in their mid-20s were found outside the hall shot in the upper body, he said. Their condition was stable Sunday morning, he added.

Police have no suspect in that case, Bergeron said.

Montreal police later received a call from a hospital informing them that a third victim, also a man in his mid-20s, showed up with gunshot wounds. His condition was also stable on Sunday, police said. It turns out that man has also been at the scene on Lafleur

                                               -HF&RV-

Diesel Spill in eastend Sunocor plant (Montreal)

                                            This story has been updated. Click here to view our gallery for more photos from the scene.

MONTREAL – As efforts to contain a major oil spill into the St. Lawrence River continued Wednesday morning, the stench of diesel permeated the air around the Suncor refinery in Montreal East.

One worker, his face covered, is using a vacuum-like apparatus to remove the fuel from the water as oil the colour of molasses extends about 500 metres down the beach.

The spill also was being contained with booms and Suncor officials said the leak at the former Petro Canada refinery at 11701 Sherbrooke St. E. has been stopped.

But Environment officials and Suncor are still trying to assess the extent and danger of what firefighters described as a “major” spill of diesel fuel near the Suncor plant in an industrial area of Montreal East.

Suncor spokesperson Michael Southern told journalists the spilled material was a mix “of diesel fuel and water” that was noticed at about 10:30 Tuesday night.

“We don’t know how much leaked at this time, but we are in the process of containing it,” Southern said. He added the source of the leak was still to be determined by an investigation by Suncor officials.

The spill was reportedly extending half a kilometre wide in the river.

Montreal Fire Department chief of operations Benoit Fleury said there is no danger to the public.

Suncor officials and Environment Quebec officials are now in charge of the cleanup, Fleury added.

Fire officials said they were called to the corner of Marien and Notre Dame Sts. on Tuesday night where they noticed the presence and odour of the unidentified substance.

Firefighters were deployed in boats to determine the size, nature and origin of the spill while waiting for officials from Environment Canada and Environment Quebec to arrive at the scene.

Montreal Fire Department operations chief Francis Ruest said the spill was located near port and oil refinery facilities in the area.

“Right now, we have personnel in boats out there trying to assess the size of the spill,” he said.

More details to come.                                                  -------------------------------HF&RV-------------------

to shoot or not to shoot ------------------in the low 80's preferably

                             Seems the 'borrough' of Verdun has issued an ultimatum for Nuns Island Golf Course

MONTREAL - The borough of Verdun said Tuesday it intends to give Pierre Émond, operator of Golf Île des Soeurs, 90 days to conform with environmental regulations and other commitments - "failing which he will be liable to lose his entitlement to operate the golf course."

The nine-hole course, on Nuns' Island, had been opened in late July.

Among the points of contention, the borough said, protective netting installed to catch errant golf balls on the seventh hole encroaches "on the territory of a green corridor set up to ensure the passage of birds from the St. Lawrence River to the Bois St. Paul," a wooded area, with the eighth tee "definitely encroaching on the green corridor."

In addition, "a water retention pond installed along the eighth hole is connected directly to the storm sewer, without storing any water."

Émond also hasn't submitted a tee-time reservation policy that would give priority to borough residents with a valid Access Verdun card, a borough statement added.

"I can't tolerate a developer acting in such a brutal way, by always confronting us with a fait accompli," borough Mayor Claude Trudel said.

Émond wasn't immediately available for comment.

.........................HF&RV..........................

Gunman Dead after Shooting at U of Texas

                  AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) — A man killed himself after firing shots at the University of Texas on Tuesday but officials said they feared a second gunman was on the campus.

"This individual was carrying an automatic weapon, fired it briefly but did not harm anyone," university spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said.

Austin police confirmed shots had been fired on the campus but gave no further details.

Weldon said the gunman shot himself to death on the sixth floor of the sprawling library complex but witnesses reported a second suspect in the area.

It seems the good news here is that the idiot doing the shooting is the only one dead....perfect. This university is the same one that we heard of the 'nut' shooting people from the bell tower,that had to be one of the first times I had ever heard of a nutbar shooting at a school, that was a big deal in thosse days.I wonder what possess's some fool to want to shoot innoncent students.(mind you the National Guard did it in OHIO)                       A Reuters correspondent visiting the university for an energy conference said buildings were still locked down and that alarms had sounded.

"I can hear helicopters overhead," Reuters correspondent Eileen O'Grady said.

The University of Texas was the scene of a mass shooting in August 1966 when Charles Whitman, a student and former Marine, barricaded himself inside the campus clock tower and fired his rifle at passersby, killing 14 people.

Whitman, who had killed his wife and his mother the night before, was shot dead by police

.........................................................................................................................................breaking news

;72 Summit Series ,decided by Paul Henderson 38 years ago today - YIKES

         Paul Henderson, a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, became a Canadian sports legend on September 28, 1972. His goal, with 34 seconds remaining in the final game, lifted Canada to victory in the “Series of the Century”, against the Soviet Union.

Incredibly, Paul Henderson scored the winning goal in each of the last three games of this historic first series between the two superpowers of hockey.

That magical moment in Moscow is still considered the greatest in hockey history. In 1997, on the 25th Anniversary of The Goal, Paul was immortalized on a postage stamp issued by Canada Post and a silver coin by The Royal Canadian Mint.

Oh No ! Say it isn't So, -Quebec Corrupt..............thanks for the news flash. lol

            So Macleans thinks Quebec is the most corrupt province,...come on we are trying here in BC ,.......& how about Ontario their pretty good at thievery too........what about Alberta (paid off with Oil Dough).................that Quebec gets all the good headlines...lol

Marc Bellemare isn’t a particularly interesting man to look at, so you’d think the spectre of watching him sit behind a desk and answer questions for hours on end would have Quebecers switching the channel en masse. And yet, the province’s former justice minister has been must-see TV over the past few weeks, if only because of what has been flowing out of his mouth.

Bellemare, who has been testifying in an inquiry into the process by which judges are appointed in Quebec, has particularly bad memories of his brief stint in cabinet, from 2003 to 2004. The Liberal government, then as now under the leadership of Premier Jean Charest, was rife with collusion, graft and barely concealed favouritism, he says—the premier himself so beholden to Liberal party fundraisers that they had a say in which judges were appointed to the bench. “It happened in [Charest’s] office. He was relaxed, he served me a Perrier,” Bellemare testified. The two spoke about Franco Fava, a long-time Liberal fundraiser who, according to Bellemare, was lobbying for Marc Bisson (the son of another Liberal fundraiser) and Michel Simard to be promoted. “I said, ‘Who names the judges, me or Franco Fava?’ I was very annoyed. I found it unacceptable,” Bellemare recalls. He remembers Charest saying, “ ‘Franco is a personal friend. He’s an influential fundraiser for the party. We need men like this. We have to listen to them. If he says to nominate Bisson and Simard, nominate them.’ ”

Judicial selection may be a topic as dry as Bellemare’s own clipped monotone, yet the public inquiry currently under way has been a ratings success. It has veered into bizarro CSI territory, complete with testimony from an ink specialist who discerned that Bellemare had used at least two different pens when writing notes on a piece of cardboard. And despite his reputation as a bit of a crank, and the fact his supposedly airtight memory is prone to contradictions and convenient lapses, Quebecers believe Bellemare’s version of events over that of Jean Charest, the longest serving Quebec premier in 50 years—by as much as four to one, according to polls.

Part of the reason for this is the frankly disastrous state of Charest’s government. In the past two years, the government has lurched from one scandal to the next, from political financing to favouritism in the provincial daycare system to the matter of Charest’s own (long undisclosed) $75,000 stipend, paid to him by his own party, to corruption in the construction industry. Charest has stymied repeated opposition calls for an investigation into the latter, prompting many to wonder whether the Liberals, who have long-standing ties to Quebec’s construction companies, have something to hide. (Regardless, this much is true: it costs Quebec taxpayers roughly 30 per cent more to build a stretch of road than anywhere else in the country, according to Transport Canada figures.) Quebecers want to believe Bellemare, it seems, because what he says is closest to what they themselves believe about their government.

This slew of dodgy business is only the most recent in a long line of made-in-Quebec corruption that has affected the province’s political culture at every level. We all recall the sponsorship scandal, in which businessmen associated with the Liberal Party of Canada siphoned off roughly $100 million from a fund effectively designed to stamp the Canadian flag on all things Québécois, cost (or oversight) be damned. “I am deeply disturbed that such practices were allowed to happen,” wrote Auditor General Sheila Fraser in 2004. Fraser’s report and the subsequent commission by Justice John Gomery, which saw the testimony of Liberal prime ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, wreaked havoc on Canada’s natural governing party from which it has yet to recover.

MORE TO COME…

CLARIFICATION: The cover of last week’s magazine, with the headline “The Most Corrupt Province in Canada,” featured a photo-illustrated editorial cartoon depicting Bonhomme Carnaval carrying a briefcase stuffed with money. The cover has been criticized by representatives of the Carnaval de Québec, of which Bonhomme is a symbol.

While Maclean’s recognizes that Bonhomme is a symbol of the Carnaval, the character is also more widely recognized as a symbol of the province of Quebec. We used Bonhomme as a means of illustrating a story about the province’s political culture, and did not intend to disparage the Carnaval in any way. Maclean’s is a great supporter of both the Carnaval and of Quebec tourism. Our coverage of political issues in the province will do nothing to diminish that support.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HF&RV.........

            ....Hey baby tell us something we don't know,Quebec has always been corrupt & that's not about to change.......................HF&RV