SPEEDING UP HISTORY

by Harry Blutstein
Paul Rose was bemused by my question as to whether making a bomb
was difficult. As a member of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ)
during 1969 and 1970 he would have addressed this task more than once
as part of the struggle for an independent Quebec. Rose explained how
simple it is to make what he called "la bombe domestique" using a couple
of sticks of dynamite, detonator and clock timer.
In October 1970 Rose led a cell of the FLQ that kidnapped and executed
Pierre Laporte, Quebec's acting Premier, in what has become known as the
October Crisis. This action climaxed seven years of bombings, armed
robberies and violence by nationalists. Rose was convicted to two life
sentences for his role. He served 12 years before being paroled in 1982.
Paul Rose is now 48 years old and has a young family. He is an imposing
man with large powerful hands. His moustache edged with grey.
He says that his actions were provoked by his own early experiences when
Quebecois were subjected to economic and linguistic colonialism by the
English-speaking minority. It was not unusual for a francophone (Frenchspeaker) to be told to "talk white" in shops and factories.
"I lived in a poor working class suburb on the south shore of Montreal.
There was no electricity, no running water and the street was unpaved.
All these services were available in the adjacent St Lambert, a wealthy
Anglo suburb. When you are young you don't know why you can't have
the same things."
Halloween has left Rose with bitter memories. He would go up to rich
Anglo homes and use the only English words he knew, "charity please".
"Many would just close the door when they heard my French accent. It
was like a slap in the face." To get around this he learnt that if he was
accompanied by a kid who spoke English it improved his chance of
success.
The 1960s saw the first stirrings by Quebecois to improve the position of
French in the province.
"The police conducted a deliberate program to destabilize nationalist
groups," Rose says. "We couldn't demonstrate in the streets. The popular
groups were being undermined and all legitimate outlets were blocked.
This provocation made me a militant. The FLQ was the last resort."

His talents as a natural leader were quickly recognised by the FLQ

leadership. Rose was given the task of fundraising, which included bank
robberies and credit card fraud.
"The FLQ project was for greater equality in society. We wanted real
independence, without oppression, racism or sexism. There is no point
having independence without transformation of society."
The April 1970 election was a critical turning point for the FLQ. Their
hopes were raised when the newly formed independentist Parti quebecois
ran for office. They decided to put some faith in the democratic process
and declared a moratorium on direct action.
A few days before the election the Royal Trust Company sent a convoy of
armoured trucks to Ontario, supposedly containing bonds and valuables
belonging to anglophones worried by the independence movement. This
stunt played on the insecurity of francophones, which was reflected in the
outcome. The result was Liberals gained 44 per cent of the vote and the
Parti quebecois 24 per cent, giving them just 6 per cent of the seats. The
election totally discredited the political process for Rose.
After this election the FLQ decided to up the ante and go beyond planting
bombs. "Our objective in kidnapping political figures was to sensitize the
people to their social and historic oppression. The events of October 1970
were to connect these two parts of our reality."
At the time of his capture Rose said, "we wanted to speed up history and
perhaps we belong to the lost generation. We have no regrets ... We
accept responsibility for the violence that occurred and we will pay for it."
He was not forthcoming as to whether he had doubts and suffered guilt at
the action he took in October 1970.
When I spoke to Rose, Quebec was preparing for a referendum which
could bring it closer to sovereignty than ever before. Rose said he didn't
know whether the October Crisis had accelerated the movement toward
independence.
Today Rose eschews violence in his fight for independence. But he
continues the struggle he started in the mid-sixties to ensure that an
independent Quebec is created on a social project to better people's lives.
"Under the current political leaders the fight for independence is nothing
more than a transfer of power. It is just a cynical move to retain power.
Sovereignty today has become just a game of words. The social project
has been lost," he says.
Rose is no longer an angry young man. Talk of "la bombe domestique" is
just part of his memories. But his enthusiasm for an independent Quebec
is undiminished. He wants Quebec independence to be achieved through
positive forces which will lead to a more equitable society, not by default.
"Sovereignty is only the first step," he says.