Turmoil Within The Country

This is the powow dress of Amanda Larocque, a Mi'kmaq fancy dance performer. 

The next thematic area deals with Quebec, and with Francophones generally in Canada. It starts with a jersey and hockey stick belonging to one of the greatest to ever play the game- Maurice "Rocket" Richard, a hero and legend worshiped by fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

Albums by various Quebec musicians are seen together.

One of the more insufferable moments of the 1960s involved a man whose entire life could be summed up by that word. Charles de Gaulle had weaseled his way into power in France by making the absolute most of his reputation from the Second World War. In truth, there was nothing he did of any real note that couldn't have been done by another Free French officer. The man was an insufferable egomaniac, impossible to work with, in love with his own place in history. In short, an asshole. 

He came to Canada on a state visit, went to Montreal, where he gave a speech to crowds from a balcony, and ended up feeding into the sovereignty movement by calling, "vive le Quebec libre!"

This of course set off a diplomatic firestorm, and it wasn't long before the old man was out of the country.

Again: an asshole. If there's any justice, he's roasting in hell right about now, griping about why no one's paying attention to him.

The 1960s had also seen the rise of extremism and terrorism in Quebec. The Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ) spent years setting off bombs. Their actions culminated in the October Crisis- the kidnapping of a British diplomat, and the kidnapping and murder of a provincial cabinet minister.

The first referendum on the question of separation ensued some years later. For the no side, the Prime Minister of the country led efforts. Pierre Trudeau is seen here speaking to supporters.

On another screen, the provincial premier, Rene Levesque, the driving force for separation, speaks in turn, creating the effect of a political debate.