October Crisis

 I was still in my first year as an immigrant in Canada. I had travelled a fair bit around southern Ontario but did not feel that I was a Canadian yet. However, I did think I still belonged to the community of western democracies.

Canada, just like America, the UK and Europe were embroiled in a struggle between the present generation and the old guard over the need for the Vietnam war.

As I had mentioned earlier, the struggles that Canadians were different from the other countries  had not really sunk into my consciousness. It was a great surprise to find Canada suddenly struggling over of a sense of identity and free speech and radical groups when the October crisis occurred.

I was living in Toronto but had friends in Montreal and I travel there quite a few weekends in my first months to stay with them. It was October 1970, I was visiting the family friends who lived in the western part of Montreal Island and I took the train into the city.
It came as a great shock to see tanks travelling down Ste. Catherines.  I went into Le Château to browse clothes and when I came out,  standing right by the exit, was a soldier in full uniform and weapons standing guard looking out. I had to walk past him, no more than 6 or 10 inches apart.  He just stared ahead. I assumed his eyes were sweeping up and down the street looking for trouble makers.

It was surreal.

Not something I had expected to experience in my new country.