Louise Lanctôt (born March 24, 1947) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

convicted

kidnapper In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

and writer. Born

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada, Lanctôt is a political activist for the cause of

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

from Canada. Louise Lanctôt was an active member of the Rassemblement pour l'indépendance nationale political party that later merged with the

Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...

. She was also a member of the

Front de libération du Québec The (FLQ) was a Marxist–Leninist and Quebec separatist guerrilla group. Founded in the early 1960s with the aim of establishing an independent and socialist Quebec through violent means, the FLQ was considered a terrorist group by the Canadia ...

(FLQ) and is the sister of convicted kidnapper

Jacques Lanctôt Jacques Lanctôt is a Canadian writer, publisher, terrorist, and restaurateur. He was a member of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and was convicted on terrorism charges for his role in the kidnapping of British diplomat James Cross in ...

, and was married to

Jacques Cossette-Trudel ''Jacques Cossette-Trudel (born 1947 in Shawinigan, Quebec) is a Canadian who kidnapped British diplomat James Cross in the October Crisis of 1970 in Canada. Cossette-Trudel was a member of a cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) tha ...

who joined the FLQ with her. During what became known as the

October Crisis The October Crisis (french: Crise d'Octobre) refers to a chain of events that started in October 1970 when members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the provincial Labour Minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James C ...

, as a member of the

Liberation Cell The Liberation Cell was a Montreal-based cell that was part of Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) revolutionary movement in Quebec whose members were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the 1960s that led to what became ...

, on October 5, 1970, Louise Lanctôt along with her brother

Yves Langlois Yves Langlois (born 1947) a.k.a. Pierre Seguin was a Canadian terrorist and member of the Quebec terrorist group Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), the group responsible for the 1970 October crisis. Langlois is one of the men who kidnapped B ...

Nigel Hamer Nigel Barry Hamer was a British-born Canadian terrorist, kidnapper, and school teacher who was a key member of the Front de libération du Québec ( FLQ). He was a student at McGill University when he joined the Liberation Cell of the terrorist grou ...

, and

Marc Carbonneau Marc Carbonneau (born 29 May 1933) was a member of the Liberation Cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ). Carbonneau, a taxi driver by profession, was active in left-wing groups in the 1950s and joined the FLQ 15 years later. On 7 Octob ...

put their plans into action. They carried out an armed abduction of

James Cross James Richard Cross (29 September 1921 – 6 January 2021) was an Irish-born British diplomat who served in India, Malaysia and Canada. While posted in Canada, Cross was kidnapped by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) durin ...

, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Trade Commissioner to Canada, from his Montreal home as part of their violent attempt to overthrow the elected government and to establish a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

Quebec state independent of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. On October 10,

Chenier Cell A chenier or chénier is a sandy or shelly beach ridge that is part of a strand plain, called a “chenier plain,” consisting of cheniers separated by intervening mud-flat deposits with marsh and swamp vegetation. Cheniers are typically 1 to 6 ...

leader Paul Rose and his brother,

Jacques Rose Jacques Rose (born 1947) is a Québécois nationalist who was a member of the Chénier Cell of the ''Front de libération du Québec'' (FLQ), along with his brother Paul Rose, who led the cell. The Chénier cell of the FLQ kidnapped Quebec Labour ...

along with

Bernard Lortie Bernard Lortie (born c. 1951) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a member of the Chenier Cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) who were responsible for a decade of bombings and armed robberies in the province of Quebec. During what b ...

and

Francis Simard Francis Simard, (June 2, 1946 – January 10, 2015) was a Quebec nationalist and convicted murderer. Simard was a member of the Chenier Cell of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ), a group dedicated to the creation of an independent Marx ...

, kidnapped and then murdered Quebec Vice Premier and Cabinet Minister

Pierre Laporte Pierre Laporte (25 February 1921 – 17 October 1970) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician. He was deputy premier of the province of Quebec when he was kidnapped and murdered by members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) ...

. Believing many others would follow in an uprising, the goal of the FLQ was to create an independent state based on the ideals of

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. Lanctôt, with the help of her husband and other members of the "Liberation Cell," held James Cross hostage, taking his photo and sending it to police with a list of demands that included money and the release of other convicts. They advised authorities that Cross would be executed and further threats to Cross' life were delivered to several radio stations along with their demands. Early in December 1970, police discovered the location of Louise Lanctôt and her fellow kidnappers holding James Cross. His release was negotiated and on December 3, 1970, Lanctôt with her husband and child, plus the three other known members of her cell, were granted their request for safe passage to Cuba by the Government of Canada after approval by Castro. Although Lanctôt and her friends who wanted to go to Cuba were exiled from Canada for life, they were later found in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. For four years, Louise Lanctôt lived in

La Courneuve La Courneuve () is a Communes of France, commune in Seine-Saint-Denis, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero, center of Paris. History Inhabited since pre-Roman times, the area is thought to have been a small village up through the Midd ...

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

. Over the years, all of the Front de libération du Québec members wanted to return to Canada and began secret negotiations through the reigning government

to achieve that goal. On October 13, 1977, Quebec Premier

René Lévesque René Lévesque (; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Québécois politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to attempt ...

announced he was considering a request for a

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

for Louise Lanctôt and her husband. Eventually, the federal government consented. On her return to Montreal on December 13, she pleaded guilty at trial and was sentenced to two years in jail for her part in the kidnapping. She was freed on parole after serving eight months, following which she received Quebec government financial assistance (just as any other citizen is eligible for) to attend the

Université du Québec à Montréal The Université du Québec à Montréal (English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Québe ...

, where she received a degree in communications in 1982 and continued on to doctoral studies in human sciences. Divorced from her husband, during the times when the

has been in government, she has been employed by numerous Quebec government-funded institutions, including as a researcher for the

Collège de Maisonneuve Collège de Maisonneuve (or Cégep de Maisonneuve) is a francophone public pre-university and technical college located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Partnerships The College is affiliated with the ACCC, and CCAA. History In 1967, several in ...

, the

, Sainte-Justine Hospital,

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

health administration department, and the "Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec". The author of several books, Louise Lanctôt is a member of the

Quebec Writers Union Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

References

"Chronology of the October Crisis, 1970, and its Aftermath"
in ''Chronologies of Quebec History,'' Claude Bélanger,

Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Marianopolis College , mottoeng = "Under the Guidance of Mary" , established = 1908 , type = Private college , endowment = , director = Mr. Christian Corno , provost = E ...

.
"Impromptu interview
of

Pierre Elliott Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and ...

with Tim Ralfe of the

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

and Peter Reilly of

CJON-TV CJON-DT (channel 21), branded on-air as NTV (short for Newfoundland Television), is an English-language independent television station in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, owned by Newfoundland Broadcasting Company Ltd. The stati ...

on October 13, 1970" in ''Chronologies of Quebec History,'' Claude Bélanger,

Marianopolis College , mottoeng = "Under the Guidance of Mary" , established = 1908 , type = Private college , endowment = , director = Mr. Christian Corno , provost = E ...

. :Source cited:
Quebec 70. A Documentary Narrative.
'

John Saywell John Tupper (Jack) Saywell (April 3, 1929 – 20 April 2011) was a Canadian historian specializing in the fields of politics and constitution. Early life and education John Tupper Saywell was born on April 3, 1929, to parents John Ferdinand Tupper ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calen ...

1971, pp. 71-74 (Originally published in the ''Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs'', 1970. * ''The October Crisis, 1970: An Insiders View''.

William Tetley William Tetley (February 10, 1927 – July 1, 2014) was a lawyer and professor of law at McGill University in Montreal, the visiting professor of Maritime and Commercial Law at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a former member o ...

, Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006. . * ''The Canadian Dominion.'' Oscar D. Skelton.

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

"FLQ on CBC (English only)."
- February 18, 2006 ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'
update
reproduced on
The Agonist
' website.

Chapter 7 in ''The Quebec October Crisis.''

Crime Library Crime Library was a website documenting major crimes, criminals, trials, forensics, and criminal profiling from books. It was founded in 1998 and was most recently owned by truTV, a cable TV network that is part of Time Warner's Turner Broadcastin ...

Court TV Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...

.
"Black October: The Players"
- CBC, October 8, 2000.
"The Events Preliminary to the Crisis" in chronological order - 1960 to 5 October 1970
on

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

website (doc requires download).
“The October Crisis per se" in chronological order - 5 October to 29 December 1970
on

website (doc requires download). {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanctot, Louise 1947 births Living people Canadian political writers Writers from Montreal Université du Québec à Montréal alumni Canadian writers in French Liberation Cell members Canadian people convicted of kidnapping