By Harry Blutstein
Paul Rose was bemused by my question as to whether making a bomb was difficult. As a member of the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) during 1969 and 1970 he would have addressed this task more than once as part of the struggle for an independent Québec. Rose explained how simple it is to make what he called "la bombe domestique" using a couple of sticks of dynamite, detonator and clock timer.
In October 1970 Rose led a cell of the FLQ that kidnapped and executed Pierre Laporte, Québec's acting Premier, in what has become known as the October Crisis. This action climaxed seven years of bombings, armed robberies and violence by nationalists. Rose was convicted to two life sentences for his role. He served 12 years before being paroled in 1982.
Paul Rose is now 48 years old and has a young family. He is an imposing man with large powerful hands. His moustache edged with grey.
He says that his actions were provoked by his own early experiences when Québecois were subjected to economic and linguistic colonialism by the English-speaking minority. It was not unusual for a francophone (French-speaker) to be told to "talk white" in shops and factories.
"I lived in a poor working-class suburb on the south shore of Montreal. There was no electricity, no running water and the street was unpaved. All these services were available in the adjacent St Lambert, a wealthy Anglo suburb. When you are young you don't know why you can't have the same things".
Halloween has left Rose with bitter memories. He would go up to rich Anglo homes and use the only English words he knew, "charity please". "Many would just close the door when they heard my French accent. It was like a slap in the face." To get around this he learnt that if he was accompanied by a kid who spoke English it improved his chance of success.
The 1960s saw the first stirrings by Québecois to improve the position of French in the province.
"The police conducted a deliberate program to destabilize nationalist groups", Rose says. "We couldn't demonstrate in the streets. The popular groups were being undermined and all legitimate outlets were blocked. This provocation made me a militant. The FLQ was the last resort".
His talents as a natural leader were quickly recognised by the FLQ leadership. Rose was given the task of fundraising, which included bank robberies and credit card fraud.
"The FLQ project was for greater equality in society. We wanted real independence, without oppression, racism or sexism. There is no point hout transformation of society".
The April 1970 election was a critical turning point for the FLQ. Their hopes were raised when the newly formed independentist Parti québecois ran for office. They decided to put some faith in the democratic process and declared a moratorium on direct action.
A few days before the election the Royal Trust Company sent a convoy of armoured trucks to Ontario, supposedly containing bonds and valuables belonging to anglophones worried by the independence movement. This stunt played on the insecurity of francophones, which was reflected in the outcome. The result was Liberals gained 44% of the vote and the Parti québecois 24%, giving them just 6% of the seats. The election totally discredited the political process for Rose.
After this election the FLQ decided to up the ante and go beyond planting bombs. "Our objective in kidnapping political figures was to sensitize the people to their social and historic oppression. The events of October 1970 were to connect these two parts of our reality."
At the time of his capture Rose said, "we wanted to speed up history and perhaps we belong to the lost generation. We have no regrets... We accept responsibility for the violence that occurred and we will pay for it."
He was not forthcoming as to whether he had doubts and suffered guilt at the action he took in October 1970.
When I spoke to Rose, Québec was preparing for a referendum which could bring it closer to sovereignty than ever before. Rose said he didn't know whether the October Crisis had accelerated the movement toward independence.
Today Rose eschews violence in his fight for independence. But he continues the struggle he started in the mid-'60s to ensure that an independent Québec is created on a social project to better people's lives. "Under the current political leaders the fight for independence is nothing more than a transfer of power. It is just a cynical move to retain power. Sovereignty today has become just a game of words. The social project has been lost", he says.
Rose is no longer an angry young man. Talk of "la bombe domestique" is just part of his memories. But his enthusiasm for an independent Québec is undiminished. He wants Québec independence to be achieved through positive forces which will lead to a more equitable society, not by default. "Sovereignty is only the first step", he says.