Quiet Revolution

The next thematic area looks at Quebec, and Francophones in the country as a whole. 

This is the jersey and hockey stick of Maurice "Rocket" Richard, one of the greatest players in NHL history, and a legend in the Montreal Canadiens. He was tough, skilled, and a hero to millions in the 1940s and 50s.

The Quiet Revolution was a period starting in 1960 in which Quebec fundamentally changed in its own nature and how it dealt with the country as a whole. 

This included big projects, like the hydro projects that have made Hydro Quebec what it is today.

French-Canadian music took on a life of its own as well.

In 1967, a colossal prick came for a state visit and set off a political firestorm. Charles de Gaulle, the president of France, legend in his own mind, and egomaniac who weaseled his way into power after World War Two came on a state tour. De Gaulle was the biggest egomaniac in history up to that time, though he has since been surpassed by a certain Orange Shitgibbon. 

He gave a speech from a balcony at Montreal's city hall, bellowing the words "vive le Quebec libre". In doing so, he fanned the flames of sovereigntists, insulted the actions of Canadian veterans who had fought and died to free his country during the Second World War, and insulted the country as a whole. I still hold that nothing he did during that war couldn't have been done by another French officer, and that history might have been better served if some lucky German sniper had taken him out in 1940. I'd use more colourful language, but the Sisters of Little Or No Mercy are already mad enough at me.

During the 1960s, terrorism and extremism began to grow in Quebec, with the growth of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ). They began carrying out a series of bombing attacks.

This is the armor and robot vehicle of a police bomb squad member of that period, not so different from the current counterpart.

The October Crisis of 1970 began when the FLQ kidnapped Pierre Laporte, a provincial cabinet minister, and James Cross, a British diplomat.

Prime Minister Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act as a response.

Cross was eventually freed from captivity, while Laporte was murdered.

Jacques Cartier Park

Jacques Cartier Park is a large park along the shore of the Ottawa River here in Gatineau, to the east side of the Alexandra Bridge. At this entrance into the park, a statue is found. Maurice "Rocket" Richard was a legend in Quebec, one of the greatest hockey players in NHL history and a mainstay of the Montreal Canadiens for eighteen years. 

Around this entrance, tulips could be found.

I headed to the main beds close by. They are sprawling and colourful.

The Rocket

 Before the turn of the century, through the advocation of the Inuit people, the federal government divided up the Northwest Territories in the Arctic into two, creating the new territory of Nunavut out of the eastern part.

The next thematic area looks at Quebec and Francophones in Canada. It begins with a man who remains a legend in the province and country long after his death. Maurice "Rocket" Richard was one of the greatest players in hockey history, playing for the Montreal Canadiens and earning the undying devotion of millions. One of his jerseys and one of his hockey sticks resides here.

In the 1960s, Quebec underwent what was called the Quiet Revolution- a time of societal transformation and a look towards modernity. 

Part of this came from the end of the premiership of Marcel Duplessis, who died in office after eighteen years in 1959. His iron grip on power gave way to new possibilities and a strong turn in a different direction.

Hydro-Quebec has had some big infrastructure projects in the interior in the post-war decades. One of those examples is the Manic 5 project. European readers will recognize Tintin at lower right- the creator once paid a visit to the area and left a sketch behind.

The project left a big mark that still resides in the province today. Some mementos of the time are seen here.

In 1967, Quebec saw the visit of the French president, who proceeded to stick his big nose where it didn't belong. Charles de Gaulle, the war hero (in his own mind) with an ego that could match that witless orange goon south of the border these days, paid a state visit to Canada. He made a speech at Montreal's city hall advocating an independent Quebec, setting off a diplomatic firestorm.

His speech is played on a screen above, the infamous Vive le Quebec libre speech. He was sent home by an angry federal government (rightfully so). I will always maintain that he did absolutely nothing in World War Two that couldn't have been done by others, that he took credit for things that were not his to take credit for, that France would have been better served if a lucky German sniper had taken him out in 1940, and that he is one of history's colossal assholes. I expect he's burning in hell these days, complaining about everything as usual.

The 1960s saw the rise of the Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), a terrorist group that carried out a series of bombing attacks for years. Police equipment seen here speaks to the time.

Jacques Cartier Park

 Jacques Cartier Park is over on the east side of the Alexandra Bridge as it comes into Gatineau. Here at one of the entrances, tulips line the way.

Also here is a larger than life statue of the great Montreal Canadiens hockey player Maurice "Rocket" Richard, a tough and gifted player who has long since been a legend in Quebec. The Ottawa River can be glimpsed in the background.

I came out to the main flowerbeds, filled with tulips.