Chenier Cell
Encyclopedia
The Chénier Cell was a Montreal
-based cell of the Front de libération du Québec
(FLQ) terrorist group in Quebec
whose members were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the 1960s that led to what became known as the October Crisis
. The Chénier cell was named after the rebel hero of the Lower Canada Rebellion
Jean-Olivier Chénier
.
, on October 10, 1970, five days after the FLQ's Liberation Cell
kidnapped British
Trade Commissioner James Richard Cross from his Montreal home, members of the Chénier Cell kidnapped Vice-Premier
of Quebec and Labour Minister, Pierre Laporte
. The kidnappers approached Laporte while he was playing football with his nephew in his front lawn and forced him into their vehicle at gunpoint. Believing many others would follow in an uprising, their goal was to create an independent state based on the ideals of Fidel Castro's
Cuba
.
On October 17, the day after the Government of Canada invoked the War Measures Act
, the Chénier cell announced that they had executed Laporte. He was found strangled in the back of a stolen motor vehicle abandoned near the Saint-Hubert
airport, south of Montreal
. In late December, four weeks after the kidnappers of James Cross were found, Paul Rose and the kidnappers of Pierre Laporte were located in a country farmhouse basement in Saint-Luc, Quebec
. They were put on trial and three were convicted for kidnapping and murder while Jacques Rose was convicted of being an accessory after the fact.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based cell of the Front de libération du Québec
Front de libération du Québec
The Front de libération du Québec was a left-wing Quebecois nationalist and Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group in Quebec, Canada. It was active between 1963 and 1970, and was regarded as a terrorist organization for its violent methods of action...
(FLQ) terrorist group in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
whose members were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the 1960s that led to what became known as the October Crisis
October Crisis
The October Crisis was a series of events triggered by two kidnappings of government officials by members of the Front de libération du Québec during October 1970 in the province of Quebec, mainly in the Montreal metropolitan area.The circumstances ultimately culminated in the only peacetime use...
. The Chénier cell was named after the rebel hero of the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
Jean-Olivier Chénier
Jean-Olivier Chénier
Jean-Olivier Chénier was a physician in Lower Canada . Born in Lachine . During the Lower Canada Rebellion, he commanded the Patriote forces in the Battle of Saint-Eustache...
.
History
As part of a violent attempt to overthrow the elected government and to establish a socialist Quebec state independent of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, on October 10, 1970, five days after the FLQ's Liberation Cell
Liberation Cell
The Liberation Cell was a Montreal-based cell that was part of Front de libération du Québec terrorist group in Quebec whose members were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the 1960s that led to what became known as the October Crisis.As part of a violent attempt to...
kidnapped British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Trade Commissioner James Richard Cross from his Montreal home, members of the Chénier Cell kidnapped Vice-Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
of Quebec and Labour Minister, Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician who was the Deputy Premier and Minister of Labour of the province of Quebec before being kidnapped and killed by members of the group Front de libération du Québec during the October Crisis. Mr...
. The kidnappers approached Laporte while he was playing football with his nephew in his front lawn and forced him into their vehicle at gunpoint. Believing many others would follow in an uprising, their goal was to create an independent state based on the ideals of Fidel Castro's
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
On October 17, the day after the Government of Canada invoked the War Measures Act
War Measures Act
The War Measures Act was a Canadian statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers in the event of "war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended"...
, the Chénier cell announced that they had executed Laporte. He was found strangled in the back of a stolen motor vehicle abandoned near the Saint-Hubert
Saint-Hubert, Quebec
Saint-Hubert is a borough in the city of Longueuil, located in the Montérégie region of Quebec, Canada. It had been a separate city prior to January 1, 2002, when it along with several other neighbouring south shore municipalities were merged into Longueuil. According to the Quebec Statistics...
airport, south of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In late December, four weeks after the kidnappers of James Cross were found, Paul Rose and the kidnappers of Pierre Laporte were located in a country farmhouse basement in Saint-Luc, Quebec
Saint-Luc, Quebec
Saint-Luc was a town in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the Richelieu River. In 2000, the towns of Saint-Luc, Saint-Athanase, Iberville, and Acadie merged into the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Saint-Luc is located in the Regional County Municipality of Le Haut-Richelieu. Population: 20,573....
. They were put on trial and three were convicted for kidnapping and murder while Jacques Rose was convicted of being an accessory after the fact.
Known members
- Paul Rose
- Jacques Rose
- Francis SimardFrancis SimardFrancis Simard, born 1946, of Montreal, Quebec was a member of the Chenier Cell of the militant Front de libération du Québec , a group dedicated to the creation of an independent Marxist state out of the Canadian province of Quebec...
- Bernard LortieBernard LortieBernard Lortie of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a member of the Chenier Cell of the Front de libération du Québec who were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the province of Quebec....
See also
- History of QuebecHistory of QuebecQuebec has played a special role in Canadian history; it is the site where French settlers founded the colony of Canada in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Paleoindian Era :...
- Direct actionSquamish FiveThe Squamish Five were a group of self-styled "urban guerrillas" active in Canada during the early 1980s. Their chosen name was Direct Action....