DCHP-2

Front de Libération du Québec Front du libération de Québec, Front du Liberation du Quebec, FLQ, < French 'Quebec Liberation Front' DCHP-2 (July 2016)

• n. — historical, Quebec

  a terrorist group fighting for Quebec separatism.

  Type: 1. Origin — The Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ), or the Quebec Liberation Front, was founded in Quebec in 1963 at the height of the Quebec separatist movement (see the 2011 quotation) and disbanded in 1971. This radical group consisted of members referred to as felquistes that were known for acts of terrorism throughout their "fight for a sovereign socialist Quebec" (see OCCH, s.v. "Front de Libération du Québec"). The Front de Libération du Québec's actions were notably violent. For example, the FLQ took part in more than 200 bombings between 1963 and 1970 (see the Canadian Encyclopedia reference). The FLQ is infamous for the 1970 October Crisis, where the members kidnapped a British diplomat and kidnapped and murdered the Quebec labour minister, Pierre Laporte (see the 1978 and 1987 quotations). The hostage-taking sparked the controversial imposition of the War Measures Act, which enabled the Canadian government to detain more than 450 suspects without explanation (see the 1987 and 1998 quotations), 150 of whom were FLQ members (see Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Front de libération du Québec"). The term is most frequently used in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also COD-2, s.v. "Front de Liberation du Quebec", which is marked "(in Canada)".
  COD-2 labels the term as "in Canada".

  See also: felquiste  FLQ  War Measures Act  sovereignty