12 October 1970

Laporte's kidnapping on 10 October gave the October Crisis a new dimension. It showed that the FLQ was more organized than the government had previously assumed and it added risk to every operation. Discovery of one kidnapping cell might increase the risk to the second hostage. The federal government also worried that this second kidnapping would decrease trust in the authorities. Prior to these developments, the fderal government had worked through their negotiating positions on the FLQ demands with the lone major sticking point being the release of political prisoners. This document outlines how the Laporte kidnapping, Bourassa's response, and further FLQ communiqués all impacted the federal government's negotiating position.