Prime Minister's stance on the matter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfUq9b1XTa0

Citation: “CBC Archives: Just Watch Me, 1970 l CBC,” produced by CBC News, December 3, 2008, YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfUq9b1XTa0

In an interview with the CBC on October 13th, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau was asked just how far he was willing to go to see justice done, as there was concern among the public about what the suspension of civil liberties would mean for the average Canadian. His position, and by extension the official position of the federal government, was that in a time of crisis like the one they were facing, the physical security of Canadians against terror agents was the top priority, above even civil liberties, and suggested he might go even further beyond their current measures in an effort to prevent further attacks by the FLQ on the public. When asked how far he might be willing to go, he said “just watch me”. This simple statement encapsulated the attitude of the Canadian government for the duration of the crisis, and three days later, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act for just the third time in Canadian history and the first time when Canada was not at war with a foreign power.