Vive le Québec libre speech
Encyclopedia
"Vive le Québec libre !" ("Long live free Quebec!") was a controversial phrase in a speech delivered by French president Charles de Gaulle
in Montreal
on July 24, 1967.
De Gaulle was in Canada
on an official visit under the pretext of attending Expo 67
. While giving an address to a large crowd from a balcony at Montreal City Hall
, he uttered "Vive Montreal; Vive le Québec !" ("Long live Montreal, Long live Quebec!") and then added, almost drowned out by the crowd, "Vive le Québec libre !" ("Long live free Quebec!") with particular emphasis on the word 'libre'. The phrase was seen as a slogan amongst Quebecers who favoured Quebec sovereignty, and de Gaulle's use of it was seen as him lending his tacit support to the movement.
had been worried about President de Gaulle's visit. Earlier that year, the French government had not sent a representative to the funeral service for Governor General
Georges Vanier
. This attracted notice in Canada, as Vanier and his wife, Pauline
, had been personal friends of de Gaulle since 1940, when the latter was in exile in London
, United Kingdom
. So worried was the Lester B. Pearson
government about potential interference of France
in domestic affairs that Secretary of State for External Affairs
Paul Joseph James Martin
was dispatched to visit de Gaulle in Paris
to smooth over ties. Pearson knew that de Gaulle held a grudge against him for his objection to France's military position in the Suez crisis
and predicted correctly that something might happen.
De Gaulle had been invited by Quebec premier
Daniel Johnson. Although a visiting head of state, the president did not arrive in the Canadian capital, Ottawa
, as would be conventional protocol. Instead, he took the time to sail on the French navy's Mediterranean flagship, the cruiser Colbert, so that he could arrive in Quebec City
, the capital of Quebec. There, de Gaulle was cheered enthusiastically, while the new governor general, Roland Michener
, was booed by the same crowd. In his speech, de Gaulle spoke of his country’s "evolving" ties with Quebec, hinting at his support for Quebec separatism
.
, where Mayor Jean Drapeau
and Premier Johnson waited. De Gaulle was not scheduled to speak that evening, but the crowd chanted for him; he told Drapeau: "I have to speak to those people who are calling for me." According to a number of personal interviews with high-ranking French officials, as well as documents he uncovered, prominent scholar Dale C. Thomson
wrote that de Gaulle's statement was planned, and that he used it when the opportunity presented itself.
De Gaulle stepped out onto the balcony to give a short address to the assembled masses which was also broadcast live on radio. In his speech he commented that his drive down the banks of the St. Lawrence River, lined as it had been with cheering crowds, reminded him of his triumphant return to Paris
after the liberation
from Germany. The speech appeared to conclude with the words "Vive Montréal ! Vive le Québec !" ("Long live Montreal! Long live Quebec!"), but he then added, "Vive le Québec libre ! Vive le Canada français ! Et vive la France !" ("Long live free Quebec! Long live French Canada! And long live France!"). De Gaulle particularly emphasised the use of the word 'libre', as he leaned into the microphones in front of him and enunciated it slower and louder than other elements of his speech.
A media and diplomatic uproar ensued thereafter, which resulted in de Gaulle cutting his visit to Canada short. The day after the speech de Gaulle visited Expo 67, before flying back to Paris the following morning, instead of continuing his visit on to Ottawa where he was to have met with Prime Minister of Canada
, Lester B. Pearson
. The Colbert returned to France without de Gaulle aboard.
In repeating the slogan of a Quebec sovereigntist party, De Gaulle, in the words of The Canadian Encyclopedia, provoked "a large diplomatic incident which forced the cancellation of his visit, initiated an incredible campaign of French interference in the domestic affairs of Canada and, above all, lent his worldwide prestige to the Québec independence movement."
The crowd's reaction to de Gaulle's phrase was emotional, and has been described as frenzied.
Federalist
Canadians, on the other hand, were outraged at the implied threat to Canada's territorial integrity
and took the words to be an insult to the thousands of Canadians who had fought and died on the battlefields of France during two world wars. The federalist Canadian media harshly criticized the statement, and in a brief speech broadcast the following evening, Prime Minister Pearson, a World War I
veteran and a Nobel Peace Prize
winner, said that "The people of Canada are free. Every province of Canada is free. Canadians do not need to be liberated. Indeed, many thousands of Canadians gave their lives in two world wars in the liberation of France and other European countries."
The newly appointed Canadian minister of justice, Pierre Trudeau
, publicly wondered what the French reaction would have been if a Canadian Prime Minister shouted “Brittany
to the Bretons
.” From then on, De Gaulle remained unimpressed by Trudeau, saying "Nous n'avons aucune concession, ni même aucune amabilité, à faire à M. Trudeau, qui est l'adversaire de la chose française au Canada." ("We have not one concession, nor even any courtesy, to extend to Mr Trudeau, who is the enemy of the French entity in Canada.")
De Gaulle was also heavily criticized by a large part of the French media for his breach of international protocol.
To members of the Quebec sovereignty movement
, meanwhile, the speech was viewed as a watershed moment and has been commonly referenced ever since. Occurring soon after the Quiet Revolution
, and taking into account the low economic and political state of French Canadians at the time, the support of a foreign head of state seemed to add credibility to the movement in the eyes of many. The event occurred three years before the Front de libération du Québec
(FLQ) terrorist attacks, and nine years before the Parti québécois
gained control of the Quebec National Assembly.
The following year, De Gaulle visited Brittany
, where he declaimed a poem written by his uncle (also called Charles de Gaulle
) in the Breton language
, expressing devotion to Breton culture. The speech followed a series of crackdowns on Breton nationalism
. De Gaulle was drowned out by the cat-calls from the crowd when he spoke his uncle's words. He was accused of double standards for, on the one hand demanding a "free" Quebec because of its linguistic differences from English-speaking Canada, while on the other oppressing the movement in Brittany.
that "I will hit hard. Hell will happen, but it has to be done. It's the last occasion to repent for France's betrayal", referring to what he viewed as France's abandonment of 60,000 French colonists to the British after France was defeated in the North American theatre
of the Seven Years' War
in 1763. This worldwide multinational conflict is often known as the French and Indian War
in the United States, and the War of Conquest in Quebec.
On the trip home, he told Bernard Dorin, "What happened was a historical phenomenon that may have been foreseeable, but which took a shape that only the event could provide. Of course, I could, like many others, get away from it by uttering some courtesies or diplomatic sidesteps, but when one is Général de Gaulle, one does not get away with those kinds of expedients. What I did, I had to do it."
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
in 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...
on July 24, 1967.
De Gaulle was in Canada
Canada
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 an official visit under the pretext of attending Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
. While giving an address to a large crowd from a balcony at Montreal City Hall
Montreal City Hall
The five-storey Montreal City Hall is the work of architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and was built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at 275 Notre-Dame Street East...
, he uttered "Vive Montreal; Vive le Québec !" ("Long live Montreal, Long live Quebec!") and then added, almost drowned out by the crowd, "Vive le Québec libre !" ("Long live free Quebec!") with particular emphasis on the word 'libre'. The phrase was seen as a slogan amongst Quebecers who favoured Quebec sovereignty, and de Gaulle's use of it was seen as him lending his tacit support to the movement.
Background
Even before his arrival, the Canadian federal governmentGovernment of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
had been worried about President de Gaulle's visit. Earlier that year, the French government had not sent a representative to the funeral service for Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Georges Vanier
Georges Vanier
Major-General Georges-Philéas Vanier was a Canadian soldier and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 19th since Canadian Confederation....
. This attracted notice in Canada, as Vanier and his wife, Pauline
Pauline Vanier
The Honourable Pauline Vanier, PC, CC, DStJ , born Pauline Archer in Montreal, married Georges Vanier on September 29, 1921. Georges would become one of Canada's first professional diplomats, Canada's first ambassador to France and Canada's first Canadian-born French-speaking Governor General of...
, had been personal friends of de Gaulle since 1940, when the latter was in exile in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
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...
. So worried was the Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
government about potential interference of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in domestic affairs that Secretary of State for External Affairs
Secretary of State for External Affairs (Canada)
Canada's Secretary of State for External Affairs was, from 1909 to 1993, the member of the Cabinet of Canada responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations and the former Department of External Affairs...
Paul Joseph James Martin
Paul Joseph James Martin
Joseph James Guillaume Paul Martin, PC, CC, QC , often referred to as Paul Martin, Sr, was a noted Canadian politician. He was the father of Paul Martin , who served as Prime Minister of Canada from 2003 - 2006.-Early life:Martin was born in Ottawa, Ontario, the son of Lumina and Joseph...
was dispatched to visit de Gaulle in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to smooth over ties. Pearson knew that de Gaulle held a grudge against him for his objection to France's military position in the Suez crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
and predicted correctly that something might happen.
De Gaulle had been invited by Quebec premier
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
Daniel Johnson. Although a visiting head of state, the president did not arrive in the Canadian capital, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, as would be conventional protocol. Instead, he took the time to sail on the French navy's Mediterranean flagship, the cruiser Colbert, so that he could arrive in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, the capital of Quebec. There, de Gaulle was cheered enthusiastically, while the new governor general, Roland Michener
Roland Michener
Daniel Roland Michener , commonly known as Roland Michener, was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 20th since Canadian Confederation....
, was booed by the same crowd. In his speech, de Gaulle spoke of his country’s "evolving" ties with Quebec, hinting at his support for Quebec separatism
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
.
The speech
On July 24, de Gaulle arrived in Montreal and was driven up the Chemin du Roi to Montreal City HallMontreal City Hall
The five-storey Montreal City Hall is the work of architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and was built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at 275 Notre-Dame Street East...
, where Mayor Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau
Jean Drapeau, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Montreal from 1954 to 1957 and 1960 to 1986...
and Premier Johnson waited. De Gaulle was not scheduled to speak that evening, but the crowd chanted for him; he told Drapeau: "I have to speak to those people who are calling for me." According to a number of personal interviews with high-ranking French officials, as well as documents he uncovered, prominent scholar Dale C. Thomson
Dale C. Thomson
Dale Cairns Thomson Ph.D. DFC was a professor and departmental director at the Université de Montréal, professor and Vice-Principal of McGill University and a professor of international relations and Director of the Center of Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced...
wrote that de Gaulle's statement was planned, and that he used it when the opportunity presented itself.
De Gaulle stepped out onto the balcony to give a short address to the assembled masses which was also broadcast live on radio. In his speech he commented that his drive down the banks of the St. Lawrence River, lined as it had been with cheering crowds, reminded him of his triumphant return to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after the liberation
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
from Germany. The speech appeared to conclude with the words "Vive Montréal ! Vive le Québec !" ("Long live Montreal! Long live Quebec!"), but he then added, "Vive le Québec libre ! Vive le Canada français ! Et vive la France !" ("Long live free Quebec! Long live French Canada! And long live France!"). De Gaulle particularly emphasised the use of the word 'libre', as he leaned into the microphones in front of him and enunciated it slower and louder than other elements of his speech.
Reaction
This statement, coming from the French head of state, was considered a serious breach of diplomatic protocol. It emboldened the Quebec sovereignty movement and produced tensions between the leadership of the two countries.A media and diplomatic uproar ensued thereafter, which resulted in de Gaulle cutting his visit to Canada short. The day after the speech de Gaulle visited Expo 67, before flying back to Paris the following morning, instead of continuing his visit on to Ottawa where he was to have met with Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
. The Colbert returned to France without de Gaulle aboard.
In repeating the slogan of a Quebec sovereigntist party, De Gaulle, in the words of The Canadian Encyclopedia, provoked "a large diplomatic incident which forced the cancellation of his visit, initiated an incredible campaign of French interference in the domestic affairs of Canada and, above all, lent his worldwide prestige to the Québec independence movement."
The crowd's reaction to de Gaulle's phrase was emotional, and has been described as frenzied.
Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
Canadians, on the other hand, were outraged at the implied threat to Canada's territorial integrity
Territorial integrity
Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states...
and took the words to be an insult to the thousands of Canadians who had fought and died on the battlefields of France during two world wars. The federalist Canadian media harshly criticized the statement, and in a brief speech broadcast the following evening, Prime Minister Pearson, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran and a Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner, said that "The people of Canada are free. Every province of Canada is free. Canadians do not need to be liberated. Indeed, many thousands of Canadians gave their lives in two world wars in the liberation of France and other European countries."
The newly appointed Canadian minister of justice, Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, publicly wondered what the French reaction would have been if a Canadian Prime Minister shouted “Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
to the Bretons
Breton people
The Bretons are an ethnic group located in the region of Brittany in France. They trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain in waves from the 3rd to 6th century into the Armorican peninsula, subsequently named Brittany after them.The...
.” From then on, De Gaulle remained unimpressed by Trudeau, saying "Nous n'avons aucune concession, ni même aucune amabilité, à faire à M. Trudeau, qui est l'adversaire de la chose française au Canada." ("We have not one concession, nor even any courtesy, to extend to Mr Trudeau, who is the enemy of the French entity in Canada.")
De Gaulle was also heavily criticized by a large part of the French media for his breach of international protocol.
To members of the Quebec sovereignty movement
Quebec sovereignty movement
The Quebec sovereignty movement refers to both the political movement and the ideology of values, concepts and ideas that promote the secession of the province of Quebec from the rest of Canada...
, meanwhile, the speech was viewed as a watershed moment and has been commonly referenced ever since. Occurring soon after the Quiet Revolution
Quiet Revolution
The Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
, and taking into account the low economic and political state of French Canadians at the time, the support of a foreign head of state seemed to add credibility to the movement in the eyes of many. The event occurred three years before 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 attacks, and nine years before the Parti québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
gained control of the Quebec National Assembly.
The following year, De Gaulle visited Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, where he declaimed a poem written by his uncle (also called Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle (poet)
Charles Jules-Joseph de Gaulle was a French writer who was a pioneer of Pan-Celticism and the bardic revival. He is also known as Charlez Vro-C'hall, the Breton language version of his name. He was the uncle of General de Gaulle.-Life:Born in Valenciennes, Nord, de Gaulle was struck by a...
) in the Breton language
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
, expressing devotion to Breton culture. The speech followed a series of crackdowns on Breton nationalism
Breton nationalism
Breton nationalism is the nationalism of the traditional province of Brittany in France. Brittany is considered to be one of the six Celtic nations...
. De Gaulle was drowned out by the cat-calls from the crowd when he spoke his uncle's words. He was accused of double standards for, on the one hand demanding a "free" Quebec because of its linguistic differences from English-speaking Canada, while on the other oppressing the movement in Brittany.
The decision to use the slogan
In his book, Dr. Thomson wrote that before boarding the Colbert, de Gaulle told Xavier Deniau: "They will hear me over there, it will make waves!" A week earlier, he confided to his son-in-law General Alain de BoissieuAlain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu was a French general, Free French, Compagnon de la Libération, Army chief of staff and son-in-law of general Charles de Gaulle.-Life:...
that "I will hit hard. Hell will happen, but it has to be done. It's the last occasion to repent for France's betrayal", referring to what he viewed as France's abandonment of 60,000 French colonists to the British after France was defeated in the North American theatre
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
in 1763. This worldwide multinational conflict is often known as the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in the United States, and the War of Conquest in Quebec.
On the trip home, he told Bernard Dorin, "What happened was a historical phenomenon that may have been foreseeable, but which took a shape that only the event could provide. Of course, I could, like many others, get away from it by uttering some courtesies or diplomatic sidesteps, but when one is Général de Gaulle, one does not get away with those kinds of expedients. What I did, I had to do it."
Excerpts
- Video of the whole speech on SRC.ca
- Video Recording
- Longer video of the visit, starting with the arrival of the "Colbert"
See also
- List of speeches
- 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 :...
- Quiet revolutionQuiet RevolutionThe Quiet Revolution was the 1960s period of intense change in Quebec, Canada, characterized by the rapid and effective secularization of society, the creation of a welfare state and a re-alignment of politics into federalist and separatist factions...
- Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance NationaleRassemblement pour l'indépendance nationaleThe Rassemblement pour l'Indépendance Nationale was a political organization dedicated to the promotion of Quebec national independence from Canada.-History:...
- GaullismGaullismGaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...