rock-tossing youths. Thousands of spectators looked on as looters casually picked goods out of store-front windows." Many of the young French-Canadians who looted the stores claimed to be striking against the economic domination of Montreal's English-Canadian minority, leading them to chant separatist slogans. Despite that claim, the looters did not distinguish between stores owned by French-Canadians and English-Canadians. By the end of the day, over $500,000 of goods had been looted from various stores, and 100 people had been arrested. Government response As the riot was ongoing, the National Assembly of Quebec passed an emergency law forcing the police back to work. Under the "Aid to Civil Power" provision of the British North America Act, Quebec Premier Jean-Jacques Bertrand requested for the federal government to deploy the Canadian Army to Montreal. Soldiers were rushed from Valcartier to Montreal to patrol the streets to impose order. The troops sent to Montreal were from the Royal 22nd Regiment, better known as the "Van Doos," Canada's most famous French-Canadian regiment and one of the most decorated in the army overall. The deployment of the army shortly after midnight ended the chaos and violence and returned order to the city, to the relief of most residents. Aftermath When order had been restored, 108 people had been arrested. The inability of the City of Montreal to manage its police force was a driving factor behind the creation of the Montreal Urban Community in 1970. As Montreal could not afford a pay increase for the police, the provincial government resolved the issue by creating a new police force for the entire Island of Montreal, which ensured that the wealthy suburbs of Montreal would pay for the costs of policing in the city. Murray-Hill also lost its monopoly at Dorval Airport. See also 1981 Milwaukee Police Strike 1971 NYPD Work Stoppage References Citations Bibliography Petersen, Virgil "Crime", pages 241–245 from Encyclopedia Britannia Yearbook 1970, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970. External links 1969 riots Riots and civil disorder in Canada Labour disputes in Quebec Police strikes History of Montreal 1960s in Montreal 1969 in Quebec 1969 labor disputes and strikes October 1969 events in Canada