Timeline of the Front de libération du Québec

The following is a timeline of the FLQ, from the founding of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) in the early 1960s to the publishing of the enquiry commission reports in the 1980s. : 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 • 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • __NOTOC__

1962 On July 1, Jacques Giroux writes "I am a separatist" on the Sir John A. Macdonald monument in Dorchester Square. On October 31, the Comité de libération nationale is founded secretly by four RIN (Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale) militants: Jacques Désormeaux, Jacques Lucques, Robert Aubin and Philippe Bernard. In November, 24 RIN militants form the Réseau de Résistance (RR) during a meeting at the home of Montreal's new regional executive president, Rodrigue Guité. The Sunday following the first meeting, members of the Réseau de Résistance paint "Free Quebec" on English-only posters and throw several Red Ensigns and the Flag of the United Kingdom into the trash in Saint-Sauveur.

1963 On February 23, a Molotov cocktail is thrown through the window of the English-language radio CKGM in Montreal. The RR claims responsibility.Louis Fournier, p. 476Jonathan Fournier. "23 février 1963 - Début des actions terroristes au Québec ", in Bilan du Siècle, consulted on May 22, 2009 Late February, founding of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) by Gabriel Hudon, Georges Schoeters and Raymond Villeneuve, who had met through the RR. In the night between March 7 and 8, three military barracks located in Montreal and Westmount are attacked with FLQ incendiary bombs. In mid-March, the first dynamite theft was conducted at a Montreal Metro construction site, followed by another at the future location of the Laurier station. On March 29, the statue of James Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham is unbolted, falls and breaks in several pieces.Serge Gaudreau. "29 mars 1963 - Vandalisme sur la statue du général Wolfe à Québec ", in Bilan du Siècle, consulted on May 22, 2009 On April 1, three bombs are placed and two explode: one at a Federal Tax building, a second at the Central Station located in Montreal, and a third on a CN railway line. The bomb set to explode on the CN railway line is discovered before the passing of the train transporting Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker. He exclaimed "Is this Ireland?" upon learning of the attempt.Louis Fournier, p. 37 On April 6, 24 sticks of dynamite are laid at the foot of the Radio-Canada transmission tower on Mount Royal. A technical defect prevents the explosion. On April 12, in a joint operation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Montreal police service, dozens of searches are done in residences of militants for the independence of Quebec belonging to various associations. 20 people are arrested and interrogated, including Raoul Roy, Édouard Cloutier, Jacques Lucques. The event was dubbed the "Razzia du Vendredi saint".Louis Fournier, p. 39 On April 16, publishing of the first FLQ manifesto entitled "Message du FLQ à la Nation". () On April 19, the RIN and the ASIQ (of which several members were arrested on April 12) protest before the headquarters of the RCMP in Westmount. In the night between April 19 and 20, a bomb explodes against a wall of the RCMP headquarters in Westmount. On April 21, Wilfred O'Neil, night guard at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre in Montreal is killed by the explosion of a bomb claimed by the FLQ.Serge Gaudreau. "21 avril 1963 - Explosion d'une bombe à Montréal ", in Bilan du Siècle, retrieved 2009-05-22. On May 3, three bomb attacks are perpetrated: one bomb explodes at the building of Royal Canadian Legion Veterans at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, another is found and disarmed at the central post office and another, not armed, is found at the headquarters of the Solbec Copper mining company. On May 7, the City of Montreal offers $10,000 CAD to whoever can provide information leading to the capture of FLQ members. On May 10, a dynamite charge explodes at night against the wall of the BlackWatch regiment building in Montreal. On May 13, a bomb explodes at the Technical Service Unit of the Canadian Air Force located in Mont-Royal. On May 16, an explosive device sets off near the reservoirs of the Golden Eagle refinery located at Pointe-aux-Trembles. On May 17, the FLQ places ten bombs in as many residential mailboxes of the town of Westmount. Each bomb is made of four dynamite sticks. Five of these ten bombs explode toward 3:00 am. Walter Leja, Sergeant Major of the Canadian Army, is injured while trying to disarm one of the explosive devices. On May 19, the government of Quebec offers $50,000 to whoever will be able to provide information leading to the capture of FLQ members. The City of Montreal raises its reward from $10,000 to $60,000. On May 20, Victoria Day, 75 dynamite sticks explode against the wall of an arms room belonging to the 1st battalion of the Canadian Army's technical services in Montreal (nicknamed "Opération Chénier" by the FLQ, in honour of Jean-Olivier Chénier). On June 1, the eight main leaders of the FLQ gather at Denis Lamoureux's apartment to discuss the reorganization and expansion of their group. Is then planned the division of the movement into two sections: a political section, the FLQ, and a military section, the Armée de libération du Québec (ALQ). Jean-Jacques Lanciault, who participates to the discussion, is a delator for the police and wins the $60,000 award of the City of Montreal for his information. Thanks to Lanciault's information, the police forces will arrest 23 militants and dismantle a complete network of the FLQ. On June 16, 18 people associated to the FLQ are arrested.Serge Gaudreau. "7 octobre 1963 - Dévoilement des peines obtenues par des membres du Front de libération du Québec", in Bilan du Siècle, retrieved 2009-05-22. In June, Bernard Smith, Jean-Marc Léger, Pierre De Bellefeuille, André Morel, Marcel Rioux, Michel Chartrand, Jean-Victor Dufresne, Réginald Boisvert, Marcel Dubé and René Chaloult found the Comité Chénier, a committee of support to the convicts. On June 30, the Parti socialiste du Québec (PSQ) was founded. On July xx, Jean Lasalle, Jean Gagnon, Jules Duchastel, André Wattier, Robert Hudon set up the Armée de libération du Québec. On July 12, the FLQ set off a powerful dynamite explosion in the Parc Victoria in Quebec City, blowing apart a monument to Queen Victoria; the statue's head was later found 100 yards away. On July 19, the federal government of Lester B. Pearson sets up the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. On August 22, a bomb explodes underneath a railroad bridge of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) near Kahnawake. On August 26, 700 dynamite sticks are stolen from the construction site of Autoroute 15, near Saint-Sauveur. On August 27, Jacques Lanctôt, Guy De Grasse and Richard Bros are arrest on the charge of setting fire to two military barracks located in Montreal, as well as the building of the Royal Canadian Legion in Laval-Ouest and a shelter belonging to the Canadian National Railways on île Bigras. On September 26, five members of the ALQ performed an armed robbery in a Royal Bank of Canada office. $7,000 are stolen. Two people are arrested in connection with the robbery: Jules Duchastel and Claude Soulières. In October, publishing of the first issue of La Cognée, the official publication of the FLQ. (66 issues are printed between 1963 and 1967.) On October 7, Gabriel Hudon, Raymond Villeneuve, Jacques Giroux and Yves Labonté, arrested on the 16, plead guilty to the charge of involuntary homicide. On October 9, two bombs are discovered and disarmed in post offices located in Longueuil and Saint-Lambert. On October 16, the police arrests Barnabe Garcia, a political refugee from Spain who arrived in Canada in 1957. On November 26, the ALQ steals radio transmission equipment from the CHEF station of Grandby.

1964 On January 30, between 7:30 and 9:00, the ALQ performs an important arms robbery from the barracks of the Fusiliers Mont-Royal Regiment located in Montreal. During the heist which was dubbed Opération Casernes, the ALQ managed to steal about $20,000 worth of firearms including: 59 Belgian semi-automatic rifles (FN 7.62×51mm NATO), four BREN machine guns, 34 Sten submachine guns, 4 60-millimetre mortars, 3 Bazooka rocket launchers, some grenades, 5 Browning semi-automatic pistols, 13,000 bullets (calibre 22), 2,000 calibre 7.62 and 2,300 calibre 303, as well as 15 radio transceivers, two portable phones, headlamps, electrical wires, one Gestetner stencil duplicator, sheets, etc. On February 1, military guards are posted 24 hours on 24 before all barracks in the Montreal metropolitan area. On February 20, between 7:46 and 11:15, the ALQ performs an arms and equipment robbery from the barrack of the 62nd regiment of campaign artillery in Shawinigan. The stolen material is estimated at $25,000: 33 semi-automatic rifles FN 7.62, pistols, a good quantity of bullets, 12 transceivers, one stencil duplicator, combat uniforms and UN blue helmets. On February 27, members of the ALQ rob a Desjardins credit union branch in Shawinigan and leave with $9,000. On March 2, a bomb made out of 10 dynamite sticks, wrapped in a Union Jack, is disarmed on the plains of Abraham. On March 14, a criminal fire causes $15,000 worth of damages at captain Henri Francoeur's residence. Francoeur is assistant to inspector Russell Senécal of the Combined Antiterrorist Squad (CATS). On March 30, the police arrests and interrogates Jacques Désormeaux, André Normand, Roger Normand, Jean Goulet, Jean Cloutier, Louis-Philippe Aubert and Bernard Mataigne. On April 9, following the armed robbery of a Banque Canadienne Nationale branch located in Mont-Rolland, the police apprehends Jean Lasalle, Jean Gagnon and René Dion of the ALQ. On April 21, 38th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II, a bomb made out of ten dynamite sticks is found and disarmed below the Queen Victoria monument located on the campus of McGill University. On May 5, Robert Hudon becomes the last ALQ militant to be apprehended. The others, André Wattier, Pierre Nadon, Claude Perron and Maurice Leduc were apprehended between April 21 and May 5. On May 8, the eight members of the ALQ appear before the court. 50 different charges weight on them in total. On May 30, a bomb is found and disarmed below a statue raised in memory of the Canadian soldiers who died for the British Empire during the Boer Wars. The statue is located near the Parliament buildings in Quebec City. In June, founding of the Armée révolutionnaire du Québec (ARQ) led by François Schirm. On June 18, Hubert Aquin, militant of the RIN, publicly announces that he has "declared total war on all enemies of the independence of Québec". (The communiqué is published the day after in Le Devoir and other papers.) On August 29, the ARQ attacks the International Firearms armoury located in Montreal. Two employees, Leslie McWilliams and Alfred Pinish are killed. In September, the ARQ is dismantled by police forces who arrest some 20 militants. In September, publishing of the first issue of Révolution québécoise review, led by Pierre Vallières and Charles Gagnon. On November 2, a bomb explodes on the CFCF radio and CFCF-TV transmission tour.

1965 On February 16, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announces they have prevented the perpetration of a plot by the Black Liberation Front and the FLQ which consisted in dynamiting the Statue of Liberty and other American monuments. Arrests were done on both sides of the border. Michèle Duclos was arrested in New York with dynamite in her car.TIME. "The Monumental Plot", in TIME, February 26, 1965, retrieved 2009-05-22. In April, The Pentagon begins an enquiry into the "revolutionary activities" of Quebec. It is called Project Revolt.