Editing Pierre Trudeau (section)

==== October Crisis ====
Trudeau's first serious test as Prime Minister came during the [[October Crisis]] of 1970, when a Marxist-influenced Quebec separatist group, the [[Front de libération du Québec]] (FLQ), kidnapped British Trade Consul [[James Cross]] at his residence on October 5. Five days later, the group also kidnapped Quebec Labour Minister [[Pierre Laporte]]. Trudeau, with the acquiescence of Quebec Premier [[Robert Bourassa]], responded by invoking the ''[[War Measures Act]]'', which gave the government sweeping powers of arrest and detention without trial. Trudeau presented a determined public stance during the crisis; when questioned by [[CBC Television]] journalist [[Tim Ralfe]] regarding how far he would go to stop the violence, Trudeau answered, "[[Just watch me]]". Laporte was found dead on October 17 in the trunk of a car. Five of the FLQ members were flown to [[Cuba]] in 1970 as part of a deal in exchange for James Cross' life, although they eventually returned to Canada years later, where they served time in prison.{{sfn|Munroe (2012)}}

Although Trudeau's response is still controversial and was opposed at the time as excessive by parliamentarians like Tommy Douglas and [[David Lewis (Canadian politician)|David Lewis]], it was met with only limited objections from the public.{{sfn|Janigan (1975-11-01)|p=3}}