La purge
The mission of the Centre d'art et essai de la Cinémathèque québécoise (CAECQ) is to primary program Quebec-made documentaries and independent fiction, as well as international documentaries, animated and foreign films, while encouraging opportunities for meetings between the public and the artists. Its programming is presented in conjunction with the Cinémathèque québécoise’s under the label New releases.
The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker and producer Orlando Arriagada, as well as Martine Roy, survivor and co-chair of the LGBT Purge Fund and co-commissioner of the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse. Martine Roy brought the class action on her behalf.
Between 1950 and 1996, employees of the Canadian Armed Force, the RCMP, and the federal public service were intimidated, surveilled, and dismissed because of their sexual orientation as part of a systemic purge orchestrated by the Canadian government. Members of the LGBT community were targeted by law enforcement and discriminated against. The campaign to identify and expel LGBT public servants based on their identity or gender expression shattered thousands of lives. Three of these individuals decided to share their stories.
