What Is Martial Law?

By jamie

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6. The October Crisis - Canada 1970

The Quebec Liberation Front was a terrorist, separatist group that operated in Quebec. The group fought for the sovereignty of Quebec and, between 1963 and 1970, were responsible for killing 8 people and injuring many more in more than 160 incidents. In October 1970, they kidnapped the Quebec Labor Minister: Pierre Laporte, and the British Trade Commissioner: James Cross.

The kidnappings compelled the then Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, to impose martial law. Although civil liberties were suspended on the invocation of the order, the move was widely supported because it was clear that something had to be done about the problems. It is an example of one of the rare occasions that martial law is actually endorsed by a civilian population.

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