Mr. Speaker, Michel Bélanger has just died. Recruited in the early sixties by the key players of Quebec's quiet revolution, he became an economic adviser to René Lévesque. Under Mr. Lévesque's leadership, Michel Bélanger initiated the bold plan to nationalize electricity.
Michel Bélanger was the first francophone to become president of the Montreal stock exchange, then president of the Provincial Bank, before becoming the architect of the bank's merger with the Bank Canadian National, and then president of the new Banque nationale, until 1989.
Following the failure of Meech Lake, Mr. Bélanger agreed to form, with Jean Campeau, the commission on the political and constitutional future of Quebec. Mr. Bélanger was a staunch federalist, but he did not hesitate to refute the comments of those who used scare tactics when talking about the economic risks relating to sovereignty.
In September 1991, he said “I have always believed that sovereignty could be achieved, but was not necessary. However, if no one is prepared to find another solution to the problem, then it must be done”.
The Bloc expresses its condolences to Mr. Bélanger's family and friends.