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On Oct. 27, 1995, supporters of Canadian unity flocked to Place du Canada in downtown Montreal to express their love for Canada and encourage a No vote in the referendum on Quebec sovereignty to be held three days later.

“They streamed down the streets of Montreal yesterday, thousands upon thousands of ordinary citizens united in a shared love for a nation in peril,” we reported the next day. Gordon Beck’s now-iconic photo showing the enormous Canadian flag at the rally appeared on our front page.

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The speakers included Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, No-side leader Daniel Johnson and Jean Charest, who was then federal Conservative leader, and who also played a major role in the No campaign.

“In a passionate cry from the heart, (Chrétien) pleaded with Quebecers to consider the notion that it was possible to be both a Quebecer and a Canadian,” we reported.

The square and surrounding area was a sea of people. Our headline the next day referred, conservatively, to “100,000-plus.”