French president Charles de Gaulle visited Québec City three times. In July 1944, he came as head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, just one month after the Normandy landings. In April 1960, de Gaulle was welcomed to the city by Premier Antonio Barrette at a time when the province was Catholic and conservative. De Gaulle returned to Québec City in 1967, at the height of the Quiet Revolution, to tour the province by car. His trip ended in Montréal where he pronounced his famous “Vive le Québec Libre!” (long live a free Quebec). Three visits, three different eras!
Charles de Gaulle and Gilles Lamontagne, Mayor of Québec City
Auteur inconnu
The year 1967 marked the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. It was also the year Montréal hosted the Universal and International Exhibition, better known as Expo 67. French president Charles de Gaulle was invited to Canada on an official visit. However, he refused to arrive in the country via the federal capital of Ottawa, as protocol dictates. He preferred to arrive instead in Québec City, the bastion of French in North America.
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