- Pierre Laporte
Pierre Laporte (
25 February ,1921 –17 October ,1970 ), was a Canadian politician who was the Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour of the province ofQuebec before beingkidnap ped and murdered by members of theterrorist groupFront de Libération du Québec (FLQ) during theOctober Crisis .Pierre Laporte was born in
Montreal, Quebec . He was ajournalist with "Le Devoir " newspaper from 1945 to 1961, and was known for his crusading work against the government ofQuebec 's then-PremierMaurice Duplessis .After Duplessis' death Laporte successfully ran for a seat in Chambly in the
Quebec National Assembly and served in the government of PremierJean Lesage . Laporte was a member of theQuebec Liberal Party , and considered to be a leading member of the party'sleft wing . In 1969 after Lesage stepped down as party leader Laporte ran to succeed him, but lost the position to fellow cabinet memberRobert Bourassa .When Bourassa was elected Premier of Quebec in 1970, he appointed Laporte as his Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour.
On
October 10 ,1970 Laporte was kidnapped from his home inSaint-Lambert, Quebec byFLQ . They dubbed him the "Minister of Unemployment and Assimilation," and held him hostage in an anti-government protest. Pierre Laporte's dead body was found in the trunk of a car seven days later onOctober 17 . He had been strangled. His kidnappers were subsequently captured and sentenced to long prison terms for his murder, but only served terms ranging from 7 to 11 years.Pierre Laporte was buried in the
Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Montreal, Quebec.Honours
Many sites and landmarks were named to honour Pierre Laporte. They include:
* The provincial electoral district of Laporte;
* "Rue Pierre-Laporte" (Pierre Laporte Street), located inShawinigan ,Mauricie ;
* "Pont Pierre-Laporte" (Pierre Laporte Bridge ), located nearQuebec City ;
* several schools in Quebec and other parts of Canada. EX. Pierre Laporte Middle School, Toronto, OntarioExternal links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/10/newsid_2531000/2531261.stm BBC On this day October 10, 1970 Canadian minister seized by gunmen]
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-101-602/conflict_war/october_crisis/ CBC Archives October 11, 1970 Labour minister kidnapped]
* [http://www2.csmb.qc.ca/pierre-laporte/ École secondaire Pierre-Laporte in Mont-Royal, Quebec]
*
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