“Six months down the track from the Montreal Bed-In and an historic live appearance as part of the North American debut of the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock’n’ Roll Revival in September (the cause of the break-up of The Beatles), the Lennons had returned to Canada’s French province. This time we had traveled on a specially chartered railway observation car attached to the rear of the daily Montreal Rapido train service. Peace Festival promoter John Brower recalls that it cost around $2000 to charter the separate carriage. It was money well spent – and more than worth that outlay to be in a position to guarantee John and Yoko’s security and privacy. And to provide transportation for our eager little band of peace propaganda promoters which comprised John and Yoko, Fawcett, Ronnie and Wanda Hawkins, Brower, my then wife Annette Yorke (now Carter) and myself. The sight of the private observation car, redolent of the grand old days of rail travel, was also bound to impress the legion of media types who turned out to bid us farewell from Toronto.”

“As we shuffled our luggage and famous charges into the observation car, little did any of the eager-beaver press corps pressing upon the platform at Union Station know about the motives for this out-of-town excursion. They had simply concluded that we were headed for Montreal to further spread the word – and to alert Quebec media to the expanding Peace Festival plans. They had no idea of a private meeting involving federal government officials that was scheduled to take place deep in the bowels of Bonaventure Station, Montreal, that evening.”

Excerpt From: Ritchie Yorke. “CHRIST YOU KNOW IT AIN’T EASY.”

23th December 1969
At 10:30am, the press was stunned by the news of the impending meeting between Pierre Trudeau and John and Yoko. At precisely 10:55am, John and Yoko were rushed by limousine to Parliament building. About 50 members of the press (which the PM’s secretary described as “definitely more than usual”) were awaiting the Lennons’ arrival outside the most important office in the country.