In Montreal on this day in 1967, French President Charles de Gaulle was welcomed by the mayor, Jean Drapeau, and then made an unscheduled address from the balcony of the city hall to an enthusiastic crowd, ending the speech with the words, "Vive Montréal ! Vive le Québec ! Vive le Québec libre ! Vive le Canada français et Vive la France ! (Long live Montreal ! Long live Quebec ! Long live free Quebec ! Long live French Canada and long live France !)"
"Vive le Quebec libre!" - three words that unleashed an unbelievable furor. It was a breach of international protocol that reverberated for years and gave momentum to the Quebec sovereignty movement.
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