Statement on the death of Paul Desmarais Sr.

On behalf of the McGill University community, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Suzanne Fortier today expressed sincere condolences to the family of Paul Desmarais Sr., an important pillar of the Quebec and Canadian business communities, who died Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, at the age of 86.

Among his many honours, bestowed both at home and abroad, Mr. Desmarais was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by McGill in 1992 in recognition of his immense contributions to Quebec and Canadian society. Mr.Desmarais and his wife Jacqueline have been generous supporters of McGill and the Montreal Neurological Institute over the years. On the day of his memorial service, a date for which has not yet been announced by theDesmarais family, the University’s flag will fly at half-staff.

“M. Desmarais was not only a leading businessman who, from humble beginnings, built a great enterprise at Power Corp.,” Prof. Fortier said, “He displayed a keen sense of civic duty which made him much more than just a successful executive. He was someone who felt an obligation to contribute to our broader society in many different ways and we were all the richer for that.”