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61-561: Politics Economy The Asbestos strike of 1949, based in and around the town of Asbestos , Quebec , Canada, was a four-month labour dispute by asbestos miners. It has traditionally been portrayed as a turning point in Quebec history that helped lead to the Quiet Revolution . It also helped launch the careers of Jean Marchand , Gérard Pelletier , and Pierre Trudeau . At midnight on February 14, 1949, miners walked off

122-410: A felony without benefit of clergy , punishable by death. The proclamation could be made in an incorporated town or city by the mayor , bailiff or "other head officer", or a justice of the peace . Elsewhere it could be made by a justice of the peace or the sheriff , undersheriff or parish constable . It had to be read out to the gathering concerned and had to follow precise wording detailed in

183-475: A crowd with the words (or words to the effect of): Our sovereign lady the Queen doth strictly charge and command all manner of persons here assembled immediately to disperse themselves and peaceably depart to their own homes. God save the Queen. Anyone remaining after 15 minutes may be charged and imprisoned for one month (first offence) or three months (repeat offence). The act does not apply to crowds gathered for

244-706: A dynamite explosion destroyed part of a railroad track that led into the Johns-Manville Corporation Canadian subsidiary property. On March 16, strikers overturned a company jeep, injuring a passenger. Strikers had the support of Canadian unions and some of the Catholic Church in Quebec. The Catholic Church, which had until that time been largely supportive of the Union Nationale government of Duplessis, profoundly affected

305-501: A fifteen cent an hour general wage increase; a five-cent an hour increase for night work; a social security fund to be administered by the union; the implementation of the Rand Formula ; and "double time" payment for work on Sundays and holidays. These demands were radical in Quebec at the time, and the owners rejected them. On February 13, 1949, the workers voted to strike. The National Federation of Mining Industry Employees and

366-455: A land area of 30.25 km (11.68 sq mi), it had a population density of 234.3/km (606.9/sq mi) in 2021. Religion (2001) In terms of mother tongue , the 2016 census found that, including multiple responses, almost 98% of residents spoke French , and about 2% of residents spoke English . The next most commonly reported first languages learned were Spanish , Arabic and German . Riot act The phrase " read

427-597: A lesser disturbance such as an affray or an unruly gathering may be deemed an unlawful assembly by the local authorities and ordered to disperse. Failure to obey such an order would typically be prosecuted as a summary offence. Acts similar to the Riot Act have been enacted in some Australian states. For example, in Victoria the Unlawful Assemblies and Processions Act 1958 allowed a magistrate to disperse

488-417: A seat as a councillor but he was unseated in 2021 when Isabelle Forcier won his councillor seat with 60% of the votes. Current Government Mayor: Hugues Grimard Councillors: In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Val-des-Sources had a population of 7,088 living in 3,460 of its 3,691 total private dwellings, a change of 4.5% from its 2016 population of 6,786 . With

549-567: Is liable to receive a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment. In Canada, the Riot Act has been incorporated in a modified form into the Criminal Code , a federal statute. Sections 32 and 33 of the Code deal with the power of police officers to suppress riots. The Code defines a riot as an "unlawful assembly" that has "begun to disturb the peace tumultuously". When twelve or more persons are "unlawfully and riotously assembled together",

610-633: Is the main festive event in the city. Music is a big part of the city thanks to the Harmonie d'Asbestos, an institution long recognized throughout the region during the years 1945-60 and the Camp musical d'Asbestos, which welcomes young musicians from all over Quebec. The two most important roads entering Val-des-Sources are Road 249 , connecting Val-des Sources to Magog , via Sherbrooke and Road 255 connecting Baie-du-Febvre to Bury while passing through Val-des-Sources and Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover . In

671-529: The 2005 Belize unrest . While there is no specific form of words provided for such proclamations, they must be made "in the King's name". The provisions are formed in sections 231, 246 and 247 of the country's criminal code, providing particularly that: Any magistrate, or in the absence of any magistrate any commissioned officer in Her Majesty's naval, military or air force service or any police officer above

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732-557: The Canadian Catholic Federation of Labour represented the workers. Jean Marchand was the general secretary of the latter and is often seen as the de facto leader of the strike. The strike was illegal. Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis sided strongly with the companies, largely due to his hostility to all forms of socialism. The provincial government sent squads of police to protect the mines. Duplessis' Union Nationale party had long been closely allied with

793-479: The Catholic Church , but parts of the church would move to support the workers. The population and media of Quebec were sympathetic to the strikers. The lead reporter for Le Devoir was Gérard Pelletier , who was deeply sympathetic to the cause of the workers. Pierre Elliott Trudeau also covered the strike in a sympathetic manner. Six weeks into the strike, Johns-Manville hired strikebreakers to keep

854-470: The Criminal Code requires the assembled people to disperse within thirty minutes. When the proclamation has not been read, the punishment for rioting is up to two years of imprisonment. When the proclamation has been read and then ignored, the penalty increases, up to life imprisonment. The maximum penalty of life imprisonment also applies to someone who wilfully uses force to hinder the reading of

915-473: The Gordon Riots of 1780, when the authorities felt uncertain of their power to take action to stop the riots without a reading of the Riot Act. After the riots, Lord Mansfield observed that the Riot Act did not take away the pre-existing power of the authorities to use force to stop a violent riot; it only created the additional offence of failing to disperse after a reading of the Riot Act. The Riot Act

976-429: The 2021 municipal elections, Hugues Grimard was reelected unopposed as mayor of Val-des-Sources. Grimard was initially elected in 2009, defeating the incumbent mayor Jean-Philippe Bachand with 52% of the votes. Bachand tried unsuccessfully to unseat Grimard and regain his former seat in the 2013 election but Grimard was re-elected with 60% of the votes. In the 2017 elections, Bachand finally return to city council by winning

1037-615: The Asbestos Regional County Municipality. The town covers an area of 30.25 square kilometres (11.5 sq mi), including land acquired due to the merger of the City of Asbestos with the Municipality of Trois-Lacs on December 8, 1999. At the 2021 census , 7,088 people resided in the town. It is situated in the centre of a square formed by the cities of Drummondville , Sherbrooke and Victoriaville , and

1098-641: The Jeffrey mine for the next 20 years. In September 2012, before the loan funds were delivered, the Parti Québécois defeated the Quebec Liberal Party in the Quebec provincial election . The Parti Québécois followed through with an election promise to halt asbestos mining and to cancel the loan, and put funding toward economic diversification in the area. At various times since the decline of asbestos mining, residents and politicians in

1159-518: The Magnola magnesium refinery began operation. The project was the brainchild of Noranda Inc , to repurpose waste asbestos tailings a proprietary electrolytic process. By 2011 it had been shuttered. In late 2011, one of the last two remaining asbestos mines in Canada, the Jeffrey mine, halted operations. In June 2012, a $ 58-million loan was promised by the Quebec government to restart and operate

1220-603: The Nicolet River to the north. Due to the negative connotations of the name Asbestos, discussions took place around whether the town should be renamed. A municipal referendum held in October 2020 selected the Val-des-Sources as the new name. The change came into effect on December 15, 2020. The town was the site of the 1949 Asbestos strike . The town is near to the site of the Jeffrey mine, which used to be

1281-540: The Queen. The need to read the Riot Act was removed by section three of the Crimes Amendment Act (1987 No 1). A riot act was passed by the Massachusetts state legislature in 1786 during Shays' Rebellion . At the federal level, the principle of the Riot Act was incorporated into the first Militia Act (1 Stat. 264) of 2 May 1792. The act's long title was "An act to provide for calling forth

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1342-464: The Three Wise Men ). They would largely establish the direction of Quebec federalism for a generation. Trudeau edited a book, The Asbestos Strike , that presented the strike as the origin of modern Quebec, portraying it as "a violent announcement that a new era had begun." Some historians argue that the strikers were simply pursuing better conditions and that the resulting change in society

1403-684: The United States Code , Chapter 13, Section 254. Prohibitions against inciting riots were further codified in United States federal law under 18 U.S. Code § 2101 – Riots , as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 , passed by the United States Congress. Because the authorities were required to read the proclamation that referred to the Riot Act before they could enforce it, the expression " to read

1464-578: The act granted, it was used both for the maintenance of civil order and for political means. A particularly notorious use of the act was the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 in Manchester . The act also made it a felony punishable by death without benefit of clergy for "any persons unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled together" to cause (or begin to cause) serious damage to places of religious worship, houses, barns, and stables. In

1525-535: The act was read in Kingstown during "The Labour Rebellion" In New Zealand the Riot Act was incorporated into sections 87 and 88 of the Crimes Act 1961. The proclamation is worded as follows: Her Majesty the Queen commands all of you to disperse immediately and to go quietly to your homes or to your lawful business, upon pain of being charged with an offence punishable by imprisonment for five years. God save

1586-590: The act was reduced to transportation for life by section one of the Punishment of Offences Act 1837 . The Riot Act eventually drifted into disuse. The last time it was definitely read in England was in Birkenhead , Cheshire, on 3 August 1919, during the second police strike , when large numbers of police officers from Birkenhead, Liverpool and Bootle joined the strike. Troops were called in to deal with

1647-592: The act were restricted to within one year of the event. At times, it was unclear to both rioters and authorities as to whether the reading of the Riot Act had occurred. One example of this is evident in the massacre of St George's Fields of 1768. At the trials following the incident, there was confusion among witnesses as to when the Riot Act had actually been read. In the 1768 massacre of St George's Fields, large numbers of subjects gathered outside King's Bench Prison in Southwark, south London, to protest against

1708-413: The act; several convictions were overturned because parts of the proclamation had been omitted, in particular "God save the King". The wording that had to be read out to the assembled gathering was as follows: Our sovereign lord the King chargeth and commandeth all persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their lawful business, upon

1769-459: The area have proposed changing the town's name due to its negative connotations; however, past proposals often failed, with people involved in the debate noting that because the town is predominantly francophone and the mineral is referred to as amiante rather than asbestos in French, its residents do not typically associate the town's name with the stigma around the mineral. A name change plan

1830-511: The chaplain at a hospital in Victoria, British Columbia. On May 5, the strikers launched an effort to shut down the mine in Asbestos by barricading the mine and every road into and out of town. Police attempts to force their way through the barricades failed. The strikers backed down when the police pledged to open fire on the strikers. The next day, the riot act was read and mass arrests of

1891-468: The event of buildings being damaged in areas that were not incorporated into a town or city, the residents of the hundred were made liable to pay damages to the property owners concerned. Unlike the rest of the act, this required a civil action. In the case of incorporated areas, the action could be brought against two or more named individuals. This provision encouraged residents to attempt to quell riots in order to avoid paying damages. Prosecutions under

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1952-409: The incarceration of John Wilkes . Officials feared that the crowd would forcibly release Wilkes, and troops arrived to guard the prison. After some time, as well as provocation by the rioters, the troops opened fire on the crowd. There were several fatalities, including non-participants of the riot who were struck by stray bullets. Some scholars believe that this massacre set the legal precedent for

2013-544: The job at four asbestos mines in the Eastern Townships , near Asbestos, Quebec and Thetford Mines . Though these mines were owned by either American or English-Canadian companies, almost all the workers were francophones . The largest company was the American Johns-Manville firm. The union had several demands. These included the elimination of asbestos dust inside and outside of the mill;

2074-461: The justified use of force in future riots. The provision pertaining to the use of force can be found in section 3 of the Riot Act: ...and that if the persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, or any of them, shall happen to be killed, maimed or hurt, in the dispersing, seizing or apprehending, or endeavouring to disperse, seize or apprehend them, that then every such justice of

2135-532: The militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions". Section 3 of the Militia Act gave power to the president to issue a proclamation to "command the insurgents to disperse, and retire peaceably to their respective abodes, within a limited time", and authorized him to use the militia if they failed to do so. Substantively identical language is currently codified in title 10 of

2196-425: The mines open. The community was deeply divided as some of the workers crossed the picket lines. The strike turned violent as the 5000 strikers attacked, destroying the property of the " scabs " and intimidating them through force. More police were sent to protect the strikebreakers. The striking miners and police fought on the picket line and hundreds of miners were arrested. Some of the incidents included: On March 14,

2257-507: The most violent and bitter labour disputes in Quebec and Canadian history, the strike led to great upheaval in Quebec society. The strike was in large part led by Jean Marchand , a labour unionist. Journalist Gérard Pelletier and future Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau , then a journalist, also played significant roles. Marchand, Pelletier and Trudeau would eventually become prominent Canadian politicians and were known later in their political careers as Les Trois Colombes (

2318-519: The name Val-des-Sources in the third round of a preferential ballot. In Quebec, a municipal name change must be proposed to the Commission de toponymie du Québec and then approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing before it takes effect, which occurred on December 17, 2020. For most purposes the name change took immediate effect, although the town's rebranding of its own billboards

2379-493: The pains contained in the act made in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies. God save the King. In a number of jurisdictions, such as Britain, Canada and New Zealand, wording such as this was enshrined and codified in the law itself. While the expression "reading the Riot Act" is cemented in common idiom with its figurative usage, it originated fairly and squarely in statute itself. In New Zealand's Crimes Act 1961, section 88, repealed since 1987,

2440-474: The peace, sheriff, under-sheriff, mayor, bailiff, head-officer, high or petty constable, or other peace-officer, and all and singular persons, being aiding and assisting to them, or any of them, shall be free, discharged and indemnified, as well against the King's majesty, his heirs and successors, as against all and every other person or persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, that shall happen to be so killed, maimed or hurt, as aforesaid. There

2501-416: The prison to read the proclamation. The proclamation is worded as follows: Her Majesty the Queen charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business on the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life. God save the Queen. Unlike the original Riot Act,

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2562-402: The proclamation can be read by a number of public officials, such as justices of the peace, provincial court judges, mayors, and sheriffs. The proclamation can also be read during prison riots: Quebec and Manitoba have designated senior correctional staff as justices of the peace for the purpose of reading the proclamation, while other provinces will ask a local justice of the peace to travel to

2623-605: The proclamation, or to those fail to disperse and who have reasonable grounds to believe the proclamation would have been made had the official not been hindered by force. The proclamation was read during the Winnipeg general strike of 1919 and the 1958 riot over racial discrimination against First Nations in Prince Rupert, British Columbia . One recent reading was during Vancouver's Stanley Cup riot in June 2011 . Despite

2684-401: The punishments provided by the laws now in being are not adequate to such heinous offences". The act created a mechanism for certain local officials to make a proclamation ordering the dispersal of any group of twelve or more people who were "unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled together". If the group failed to disperse within one hour, then anyone remaining gathered was guilty of

2745-430: The purpose of an election. The same act allows a magistrate to appoint citizens as "special [police] constables" to disperse a crowd and provides indemnity for the hurting or killing of unlawfully assembled people in an attempt to disperse them. The Act was significantly amended in 2007. Belize , another former British colony, also still retains the principle of the Riot Act; it was last read on 21 January 2005, during

2806-409: The rank of inspector, in whose view a riot is being committed, or who apprehends that a riot is about to be committed by persons being assembled within his view, may make or cause to be made a proclamation in the Queen's name, in such form as he thinks fit, commanding the rioters or persons so assembled to disperse peaceably. Any person who does not disperse within one hour of the proclamation being read

2867-443: The reading of the proclamation, rioters were almost always charged under s 65 due to the difficulty of proving the elements of the offence in s 68. Many rioters also faced charges related to assaulting peace officers, mischief, theft, arson and assault. In St Kitts on 29 January 1935 the act was read at Buckley's Estate located on the western outskirts of Basseterre during the "Sugar Workers Rebellion" In St Vincent on 21 October

2928-513: The referendum did not include any option to express a preference for maintaining the existing name. Minister Andrée Laforest rejected the petition and approved the name change, which came into effect on December 15, 2020. Close to downtown Val-des-Sources, outdoor enthusiasts can take advantage of the Trois Lacs resort, the golf club or the cycle path. Also, the Festival des Gourmands

2989-669: The riot act " has passed into common usage for a stern reprimand or warning of consequences. The Riot Act 1714 was introduced during a time of civil disturbance in Great Britain , including the Sacheverell riots of 1710, the Coronation riots of 1714 and the 1715 riots in England. The preamble makes reference to "many rebellious riots and tumults [that] have been [taking place of late] in diverse parts of this kingdom", adding that those involved "presum[e] so to do, for that

3050-806: The rioters. The last time it was read in Scotland was by the deputy town clerk James Gildea in Airdrie in 1971. The act was repealed on 18 July 1973 for the United Kingdom by the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973 . The Riot Act passed into the law of those countries that were then colonies of Great Britain, including the North American colonies that would become the United States and Canada . In many common-law jurisdictions,

3111-467: The rioting and looting that had begun, and a magistrate read out the Riot Act. None of the rioters subsequently faced the charge of a statutory felony. Earlier in the same year, at the battle of George Square on 31 January, in Glasgow , the city's sheriff was in the process of reading the Riot Act to a crowd of 20,000–25,000 when the sheet of paper he was reading from was ripped out of his hands by one of

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3172-437: The strike. Some priests backed the companies, but most sided with the strikers. On March 5, Archbishop Joseph Charbonneau delivered a fiercely pro-union speech asking all Catholics to donate to help the strikers. Premier Duplessis asked the church to transfer the archbishop to Vancouver because of his encouragement of the strike. The church refused, signaling a dramatic change in Quebec society. Charbonneau did resign and became

3233-465: The strikers had begun, including a raid on the church. The arrested strikers were beaten and their leaders severely battered. After the arrests, the unions decided that they must compromise, and began negotiations with the company. Archbishop Maurice Roy , of Quebec City, served as mediator. In June, the workers agreed to return to work with few gains. When the dispute ended, miners received a small pay increase, but many never regained their jobs. One of

3294-408: The world's largest asbestos mine, which was once the town's largest employer. During the 1960s the town was thriving and could afford to expand and invest in its infrastructure and municipal architecture. It built a new modern town hall whose main hallway was adorned with a mural by the artist Denis Juneau , as well as some ceramic pieces in the church by famed ceramist Claude Vermette . In 2000

3355-400: Was also confusion regarding the use of troops as it pertained to the one-hour mark. Rioters often believed that the military could not use force until one hour had passed since the reading of the proclamation. This is evident in the actions of the rioters at the massacre of St George's Fields, particularly their provocative behaviour towards the soldiers. The Riot Act caused confusion during

3416-458: Was an unintended byproduct. Popular opinion for most of the strike was broadly supportive of the striking workers. This support, beyond its moral value, manifested itself through monetary support and the supply of provisions. It is likely that the strike would have quickly failed had it not been for the establishment of this kind of support. In 2004, a French-language book about the strike by author-historian Esther Delisle and Pierre K. Malouf

3477-646: Was approved by the municipal council in November 2019, with the new name chosen by a public poll. On September 14, 2020, the mayor announced that residents would be able to vote to rename the town to either Apalone, Jeffrey, Phénix or Trois-Lacs. The choices were not well received, and more names were added to the list. The referendum was held in October to allow the townspeople to choose from among six names: L'Azur-des-Cantons, Jeffrey-sur-le-Lac, Larochelle, Trois-Lacs, Val-des-Sources, or Phénix. The referendum results were announced on October 19, 2020. 51.5% of voters chose

3538-469: Was not expected to take place until January 2021, and Canada Post required until April 19, 2021 to complete the necessary changes in its postal addressing system. Some residents who remained opposed to the name change organized a petition drive calling on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to deny its approval, on the grounds that not enough of the town's residents participated in the referendum, and that

3599-630: Was published under the title Le Quatuor d'Asbestos . Asbestos, Quebec Val-des-Sources ( French pronunciation: [val.de.suʁs] ), meaning "Valley of the Springs", formerly known as Asbestos ( pronounced [asbɛstɔs] ), is a town on the Nicolet River in the Estrie ( Eastern Townships ) region of southeastern Quebec , Canada. The town is the seat of Les Sources Regional County Municipality , formerly known as

3660-782: Was read prior to the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 and the Cinderloo Uprising of 1821, as well as before the Bristol Riots at Queen's Square in 1831. Both are held to be related to the Unreformed House of Commons , which was righted in the Reform Act 1832 . Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis Bond Head and his administrators read the act during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837. The death penalty created by sections one, four and five of

3721-407: Was specifically given the heading of "Reading the Riot Act". If a group of people failed to disperse within one hour of the proclamation, the act provided that the authorities could use force to disperse them. Anyone assisting with the dispersal was specifically indemnified against any legal consequences in the event of any of the crowd being injured or killed. Because of the broad authority that

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