The only real big-time political assassination in modern-day Quebec took place at 5630 Bachand in St. Hubert on the South Shore (it was 5630 Armstrong but the city fathers changed it to Bachand. Not a great choice since Mario Bachand was one of the founders of the FLQ). It has been widely known that the FLQ did not actually mean to kill Laporte but once he died they made it look like part of their strategy.
But there's an untold story about the night of October 17, 1970 that Bourassa Liberal Cabinet Minister Pierre Laporte was strangled to death by Paul Rose and . Three journalists, a guy named Charlie from Pulse News (now CTV Montreal), photographer Aussie Whiting and a newspaper reporter named Ted Church decided to play sleuth on that evening.
They drove around the South Shore and eventually stopped and parked on that very same little street that Laporte was being killed in at that very moment. They sat there for some time and even dozed off for a while. They eventually returned home and heard the next day that they were actually unknowingly just a stone's throw away from where one of the most famous moments of Quebec history was taking place.
(Of course the War Measures Act was called and many well-known celebrities were hauled in and the army was summoned and many soldiers camped out in temporary makeshift barracks at the post office on Peel and St. Antoine.
When I was growing up, there were no shortage of people who'd complain about being jailed during the WMA, including Nick auf der Maur and Donald Peacock. Even people running for city council were jailed, including Dr. Denis Bellemare, who ran against Drapeau for the FRAP Party. Their leader Paul Cliche refused to denounce tererorism, which was pretty stupid. His party fared very poorly in the election and you could piratically see Bellemare shaking his head in the background as the nervous-looking Cliche answers questions in this photo.).
But there's an untold story about the night of October 17, 1970 that Bourassa Liberal Cabinet Minister Pierre Laporte was strangled to death by Paul Rose and . Three journalists, a guy named Charlie from Pulse News (now CTV Montreal), photographer Aussie Whiting and a newspaper reporter named Ted Church decided to play sleuth on that evening.
They drove around the South Shore and eventually stopped and parked on that very same little street that Laporte was being killed in at that very moment. They sat there for some time and even dozed off for a while. They eventually returned home and heard the next day that they were actually unknowingly just a stone's throw away from where one of the most famous moments of Quebec history was taking place.
(Of course the War Measures Act was called and many well-known celebrities were hauled in and the army was summoned and many soldiers camped out in temporary makeshift barracks at the post office on Peel and St. Antoine.
When I was growing up, there were no shortage of people who'd complain about being jailed during the WMA, including Nick auf der Maur and Donald Peacock. Even people running for city council were jailed, including Dr. Denis Bellemare, who ran against Drapeau for the FRAP Party. Their leader Paul Cliche refused to denounce tererorism, which was pretty stupid. His party fared very poorly in the election and you could piratically see Bellemare shaking his head in the background as the nervous-looking Cliche answers questions in this photo.).
Tedd Church is a retired Gazette photog.
ReplyDeleteWow thats been in Quebec High School textbooks since the early 80's.Laporte is always found dead like he had a stroke or something.Whose version are you citing for death before strangulation?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Paul Rose did not strangle anybody as he was in hiding at a friend's house at the time. We know this because the RCMP had a conitual watch on him.
ReplyDelete