Mr. Speaker, after classical and social service studies, Claude Ryan, became, at age 20, the national secretary of the Action catholique canadienne.
But it is with the daily Le Devoir that he gave his full measure, first as an editorial writer and then as director of that newspaper. His knowledge of the issues and his rigour were impressive. It is at that time that he discovered nationalism and used his influence, including against the Victoria charter, the first major constitutional reform project of Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
In 1976, Mr. Ryan asked his readers to vote for the Parti Quebecois of René Lévesque, even though he did not support his option. He strongly condemned Bill 101 however.
In 1978, he made the jump into politics and became the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party. In his beige book, he proposed equality for the two founding peoples of Canada, while leading the No campaign during the referendum. In 1981, he lost the provincial election and left the leadership of the party.
Claude Ryan has left a deep imprint on Quebec's history. The Bloc Quebecois wishes to offer its sincere condolences to his family and friends.