Vive le Québec libre speech
From Freepedia
The speech of July 24, 1967 by French President Charles de Gaulle, known as the Vive le Québec Libre speech was given in Montreal on the balcony of the Montreal city hall while he visited Expo 67 in Canada.
Most of the English-speaking Canadians were outraged at the breach of territorial integrity and saw the words as an insult to the thousands of Canadians who fought and died on the battlefields of France during two World Wars. There was much criticism in the Canadian media, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Lester B. Pearson, a soldier who had fought in World War I and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, stated that "Canadians do not need to be liberated" and cancelled the remainder of the state visit. De Gaulle returned to France where much of the French media criticized him for his serious breach of international protocol.
However, the event was seen as a watershed moment by members of the Quebec sovereignty movement.
Excerpts
See also
External link
- De Gaulle and Quebec (in French)
