In 1967 during a visit to Canada, President Charles de Gaulle of France shouted "Vive le Quebec libre!" ("Long live free Quebec!") Why would the French president include this in a speech?

It's hard to tell if the remarks were deliberate or not and the historical debate doesn't stop. There were political and cultural reasons for this. By saying this phrase, president Charles De Gaulle likely wanted to make a friendly gesture and strengthen the position of the Québec independence movement by lending it some of his prestige and authority. He also draw attention to the issue of Quebec, a culturally French-speaking part of Canada; the promotion of French culture and language has always been a major goal of France's foreign policy.