Provincial Liberals refuse a motion asking Trudeau to apologize to the October Crisis victims

QUEBEC CITY -- Provincial Liberals in Quebec (PLQ) rejected a motion asking for an official apology from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the 36,000 victims of the October Crisis Thursday.

The Parti Quebecois motion received the support of the governing Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) and Quebec Solidaire (QS), but official opposition house leader Andre Fortin refused his consent.

Fifty years ago, the federal government imposed the War Measures Act on Quebec at the request of the Liberal government of Robert Bourassa, then premier of Quebec.

The motion recalled that in October 1970, 497 Quebecers "were unjustly arrested and imprisoned, and 36,000 people were the subject of an unreasonable search for their political (leanings towards) independence."

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2020.

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  Soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment from Quebec City stand guard on one of the many bridges in Montreal after the War Measures Act was invoked on Oct. 16, 1970. (THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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  Quebec Justice Minister Jerome Choquette passes Quebec Provincial police security as he enters the courthouse in Montrael, Oct 18, 1970, to pay his respects to fellow cabinet minister Pierre Laporte. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Stf