The author D’Arcy Jenish discusses his recent book The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ (Doubleday, 2018), with Joseph Planta.

The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ by D’Arcy Jenish (Doubleday, 2018). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Making of the October Crisis

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

A riveting book that’s overdue is The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ. It talks about what’s happened in the run up to October 1970, that saw the kidnappings of British diplomat James Cross, and Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte. From 1963 to 1970, there were hundreds of bombings, dozens of bank robberies, thefts of dynamite and weapons, and six deaths. Then with the kidnappings of October 1970, and the subsequent invoking of the War Measures Act, that not only gripped Quebec but the rest of Canada, Pierre Laporte is strangled to death. It’s a turning point in the country, and Mr. Jenish, who joins me now, weaves a marvelous narrative of the causes of the terrorism, the emergence of the FLQ, and what happened after. It’s a dark chapter in Canadian history, and D’Arcy Jenish illuminates it with gripping storytelling. D’Arcy Jenish is a writer who has appeared in Maclean’s, the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, The Walrus, and Toronto Life. He has written six previous books including Epic Wanderer: David Thompson and the Mapping of the Canadian West, Indian Fall: The Last Great Days of the Plains Cree and the Blackfoot Confederacy. He has also written the sports histories: The Montreal Canadiens, and The NHL. This book is published by Doubleday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program in Ajax, Ontario, D’Arcy Jenish; Mr. Jenish, good morning.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (23.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS