Good communicator, funny, intelligent… These are just some of the adjectives used to describe the former Liberal minister and law professor Benoît Pelletier, whose funeral is being celebrated Saturday at Saint-Joseph Cathedral in Gatineau.
Family, friends and former students came to pay tribute to Mr. Pelletier, who died on March 30 from long-term COVID, at the age of 64.
Open in full screen mode
Many people came to offer their condolences to the family of Benoît Pelletier.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Anne-Charlotte Carignan
I think the liberals haven’t had another man as strong as that on the nationalist side
says his university friend Jean Denis, who describes him as a funny and endearing man.
He remembers that, shortly before being appointed minister, Mr. Pelletier got lost in the woods
.
“When he was appointed minister […] I told him: “Well, it would have surprised me if they had appointed you to Wildlife and Parks,” says Mr. Denis, laughing sadly.
A recognized teacher
Students and colleagues from the University of Ottawa also came to pay tribute to him before the ceremony.
Nathalie Roy attended the first law course given by Mr. Pelletier.
He is a man who left his mark on us as a professor, as a minister and as a deputy.
she explains.
Open in full screen mode
Nathalie Roy, former law student who had Benoît Pelletier as a teacher.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Anne-Charlotte Carignan
She believes that one of his greatest legacies is all the knowledge of constitutional law that he passed on to his students.
It was with sadness that she learned of his death. It was a shock when I read this in the newspapers
says Ms. Roy.
He was very affable and [avait] lots of interpersonal skills
for his part supports the retired professor and former colleague of the deceased Charles Belleau.
Open in full screen mode
Charles Belleau, retired law professor from the University of Ottawa.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Anne-Charlotte Carignan
Quebec in mourning
The Quebec flag is at half-mast today to mark the death of Benoît Pelletier.
Many politicians are attending the funeral, which was organized in collaboration with the Quebec government’s Protocol. Among the lot, there is notably the former Prime Minister of Quebec Jean Charest.
“The political legacy of Benoît Pelletier will be lasting. For generations to come, we will draw on ideas from writings,” he believes. Among Mr. Pelletier’s achievements, Jean Charest highlights the creation of the Council of the Federation and the Center for the Francophonie of the Americas.
The Minister of Justice of Quebec, Simon Jolin-Barrette, also notes the advice that Benoît Pelletier offered to the government during the development of the Law on State Secularism.
As for the current MP for the Chapleau riding, Mathieu Lévesque, he specifies that he studied law under the recommendation of Mr. Pelletier, for whom he worked. “He was really a kind of mentor to a lot of politicians. It’s a bit of a politician’s ideal that we want to achieve,” he maintains.
An opinion shared by the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, Marc Tanguay, also present at the funeral.
Jean Charest, Simon Jolin-Barrette and Pierre Thibault, a family friend, will deliver speeches during the ceremony, which began at 1 p.m.
The journey of Benoît Pelletier
Benoît Pelletier was a deputy for the riding of Chapleau, in Outaouais, from 1998 to 2008.
He held various ministerial positions within the Quebec Liberal Party from 2003 to 2008, including those of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Indigenous Affairs, the Canadian Francophonie, the Reform of Democratic Institutions and Access to Information. .
He was also a full professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. In 2022, the University awarded him the exceptional distinction of distinguished professor, in recognition of his vast influence in this field.
With information from Rosalie Sinclair and Rebecca Kwan
