Former Liberal cabinet minister Marc Lalonde dead at 93
Lalonde was chief of staff to former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau from 1968 to 1972
Former Liberal cabinet minister Marc Lalonde died Sunday at the age of 93, Radio-Canada has confirmed.
Lalonde was chief of staff to former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau from 1968 to 1972. He was at the forefront of the federal response to the October Crisis of 1970, during which the Trudeau government deployed the army in the streets of Montreal and invoked the War Measures Act.
A trained lawyer, Lalonde entered politics in the 1972 federal election, running for the riding of Outremont under the Liberal banner. He remained in office until 1984.
"Marc Lalonde was brilliant," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet on Sunday, adding he remembered long and spirited debates between his father, Pierre, and Lalonde at the Trudeau home.
"It is impossible to overstate the impact that Marc has had on Canada."
Marc Lalonde was brilliant. I remember him and my dad sitting around our dinner table, having long and engaging debates on anything and everything – including our country, its people, and its future. It was clear my dad had a lot of respect for him and, as I grew up and came to…
—@JustinTrudeauLalonde was entrusted with several ministerial positions, including that of Federal-Provincial Relations, Health and Welfare, Justice and Finance.
He was the driving force behind the National Energy Program introduced in 1980, which sparked a major outcry in Alberta. He was also, at that time, a witness to the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982.
Marc Lalonde left politics in 1984, having chosen not to seek a new mandate. He then returned to the practice of law, notably as a partner at the Stikeman Elliott firm.
In 1989, he was admitted as a Member of the Order of Canada. He was also an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the 1990s.
"He ultimately transformed the way we thought about health and, in doing so, he no doubt changed — and saved — countless lives," Trudeau said in his tweet.
Liberal MP for Outremont Rachel Bendayan also took to Twitter to reflect on Lalonde's life.
"One of the best MPs from Outremont, one of the best ministers of justice and lawyer in international law. A great leader, a great Liberal, a great friend of mine. Thank you dear Marc Lalonde for all you have done for our community and our country," Bendayan wrote.
"A minister with heart and courage," commented former Liberal minister Sheila Copps.
Based on reporting by Radio-Canada