There is some very interesting historical revisionism being thrown around regarding the federal government's response to the FLQ crisis. #cdnpoli

I'm _JUST_ old enough to remember it happening, but really even for me, it's more of a topic for historical analysis rather than lived experience. I suspect that is true for the MPs voting on the motion today. /2

Let's get a couple of basic facts out of the way here:

1) The FLQ was active through most of the 1960s

2) They engaged in a range of activities from bank robbery to bombings and sabotage from 1963 through to 1970. /3

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_de_libération_du_Québec

The October Crisis of 1970 resulted from the kidnapping of UK diplomat James Cross, and the kidnapping (and subsequent murder) of Deputy Premier Pierre LaPorte. /4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Crisis

The invocation of the War Measures act was requested by both the Premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa and Montreal's Mayor, Jean Drapeau.

In short, this was not a unilateral decision on the part of the Federal Government. /5

The acts of the FLQ in 1970 represented a significant escalation of FLQ's actions. Prior acts ranged from criminal to sabotage. This was unequivocally political in nature. (Kidnapping a diplomat is anything else?) /6

Oh, and let's correct a little factual error in the National Post's coverage. Pierre Trudeau did not "pass the War Measures Act", he _INVOKED_ it. The act itself was passed in 1914. /7

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Measures_Act https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/blanchet-wants-trudeau-to-apologize-for-his-fathers-passage-of-war-measures-act-during-october-crisis

One might be able to make an argument that the application of the War Measures Act was overly heavy handed.

But let's do so with a clear understanding that the FLQ wasn't a bunch of boy scouts playing pranks. /8