SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — The Late Honourable Claude Castonguay, C.C., G.O.Q.
December 14, 2020
Honourable senators, like the Leader of the Government, I would like to pay tribute to former senator Claude Castonguay, who passed away late on Friday or early on Saturday. He was 91. I want to begin by offering my deep condolences to his family and friends, especially his wife Marie, his children Monique, Joanne and Philippe, and his five grandchildren.
It’s never easy to pay tribute to someone in three minutes, especially when it’s a man who led such a rich, full life, or who is a veritable giant.
Claude Castonguay, known as the father of health insurance in Quebec, was an architect of the Quiet Revolution and a major contributor to modern Quebec. He was often called upon to act as a consultant when it came time to undertake major change. For instance, he was instrumental in crafting the Quebec pension plan.
Senator Castonguay was truly a man of deliberation and action. He was also an independent man who put the well-being of Quebecers far above political sparring. His career in politics was brief, but he was a minister in the Bourassa government for three years and was appointed as a senator by the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, a position he held for more than two years. Through his commitment and influence, Claude Castonguay certainly made an extraordinary contribution to our society.
I had the privilege of working alongside him when we were members of an advisory board for a large corporation. Mr. Castonguay was larger than life, and I remember him as keenly intelligent, alert, extremely kind, courteous and gracious. He was a true gentleman. His legacy is vast, and he did so much for Quebecers.
On November 1, he published his parting words in La Presse upon retiring as a contributor to the newspaper. I quote:
Living longer, as so many of us do these days, also means growing old longer. That oxymoron is a good description of what it means. It means we must live longer with everything that implies.
Specifically, we have a moral obligation to live with dignity and, to the extent possible, with serenity.
Those wise words could not be more fitting in the context of today’s debate on medical assistance in dying. If I were to choose one word that best describes Mr. Castonguay, it would be “dignity.” Thank you, Claude.
Honourable senators, like my Quebec colleagues who spoke before me, I want to take a few moments to pay tribute to one of the greatest builders of modern Quebec society, Claude Castonguay, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 91.
For a period spanning almost 60 years of Quebec’s history, Claude Castonguay fought to ensure that all Quebecers, no matter how rich or poor, would have free access to a health care system.
Premier Daniel Johnson recruited him in 1966 to chair a special commission on the state of Quebec’s health care and social services and to make recommendations to the government. The Union Nationale government lost the election in 1970, one month after introducing a bill to create Quebec’s health care system.
However, Robert Bourassa recruited Claude Castonguay, who entered politics as a Liberal and was appointed Minister of Health, Family and Social Welfare. In the months immediately following his election, Claude Castonguay shepherded through the bill to create Quebec’s health care system. That was when Quebec’s health card was first introduced, which many call the “castonguette.” Not everyone was happy about this major change. Many of you have probably forgotten that the creation of the Quebec health care system, in the middle of the October Crisis in 1970, led to a strike by physicians who did not agree with the notion of government-run health care.
Although Mr. Castonguay played a major role in Quebec’s political history, he was not a career politician. He was elected in 1970, but did not run again in 1973. He said that he had accomplished what he had set out to do. Many years later, in 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney appointed him to the Senate, and he served in this chamber as a Progressive Conservative senator. His stint in the Senate was short as well. Two years later, he went back to the private sector, where it became clear that he could do more for society unfettered by party lines.
As a member of commissions and committees, Claude Castonguay shared his knowledge and his forward-thinking social vision. He did not need to be elected to change things. Decade after decade, ever since Jean Lesage, politicians have turned to Claude Castonguay for advice on our society’s biggest issues. As a quiet revolutionary, he never missed an opportunity to participate in Quebec’s social debates in his own way. Even when no one actually asked for his opinion, he did not hesitate to leverage his media platforms, issuing critiques that often rattled decision-makers. In 2007, more than 25 years after creating Quebec’s health care system, Claude Castonguay was tasked with re-evaluating it, especially its funding structure. In 2008, Mr. Castonguay revisited his 1970 idea, once again proposing a $25 user fee for access to health care, which he had considered in 2006 given the public health care system’s funding shortfall.
Throughout his life, Mr. Castonguay advocated that money should not be a barrier to receiving medical services and that health problems should never jeopardize a family’s economic health. Quebec would certainly not be the province it is today without Claude Castonguay’s contribution to the social changes that currently set Quebec apart from the rest.
On behalf of all Quebecers, I want to thank Claude Castonguay for the important legacy he left us. Thank you.
Honourable senators, Quebec lost a leading figure in the province’s economic and social development history when the Honourable Claude Castonguay died on Saturday, December 12 at the age of 91. Quebecers all knew him as the father of health insurance, but he actually did much more for Quebec. He taught at Laval University and worked in the public and private sectors, where he raised public awareness about the actuarial science field. He left his mark on the Laurentian Group Corporation as its CEO and on many other insurance institutions. He mentored many people, including Senator Saint-Germain, and others through the Raoul Dandurand Chair, of which he was the founding president.
Claude Castonguay was a quiet revolutionary, a social architect and one of the builders of modern Quebec. He advised political parties, wrote reports that led to the creation of the Quebec Pension Plan, and chaired commissions of inquiry. He was also involved in the review of the Constitution. He earned all kinds of recognition for his contributions, including about a dozen honorary doctorates.
I had the pleasure of knowing him when I was a fellow at CIRANO. His daughter Joanne introduced us. We often had lunch together to discuss matters of public policy. He wrote the foreword to my book, Créer et partager la prospérité : Sortir l’économie canadienne de l’impasse, which was published in 2013. My husband and I had the privilege of visiting his home on the Magdalen Islands where he spent many summers. He set up an art studio there for him and his wife. He loved painting and he loved crossing the Atlantic on winter cruises to write.
I was deeply impressed by this accomplished man. We had the chance to talk about the Senate several times. As you know, he was appointed to the Senate in 1990 by former prime minister Brian Mulroney to help resolve certain impasses in our august institution. He soon realized that our world was not a good fit for him, as he found it to be too adversarial and partisan. He warned me.
The Honourable Claude Castonguay proved that one can change the world without partisan politics. He had the stature, composure, diligence, passion and credibility needed to advance his ideas in the public domain.
Claude Castonguay really cared about Quebec, his family and everyone around him. Quebec’s economic and social well-being was his primary motivation. He continued to reflect on ways to improve Quebec’s social fabric right until the end. He recently suggested rethinking our model for caring for the elderly with a decisive shift towards home care. As Senator Carignan was saying, he announced to his readers in La Presse on November 1 that he no longer had the energy to write.
My deepest condolences go out to his wife, Marie, as well as his children, Monique, Joanne and Philippe, his grandchildren and all his loved ones. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to say goodbye and thank him.