Former Liberal cabinet minister John Ciaccia dead at 85

CTV Montreal: John Ciaccia remembered John Ciaccia, a longtime member of the Quebec Liberals, has died at age 85.

John Ciaccia, a retired provincial cabinet minister, has died.

According to an obituary on the Italian website Cittadino.ca, Ciaccia passed away at home in Beaconsfield on Tuesday, August 7th.

Born in Jelsi, Italy in 1933, Ciacci emigrated to Canada when he was four years old. He would go on to graduate with a law degree from McGill University.

Ciaccia served as a member of Quebec's National Assembly from 1973 to 1998, representing the Quebec Liberal Party in the Mount Royal riding.

He was the acting Minister of Indigenous Affairs during the Oka Crisis of 1990, and was actively involved in the resolution of the issues.

At the beginning of his career, in 1975, Ciaccia was appointed the government's chief negotiator with the Cree and Inuit communities in what became the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement.

Ciaccia is also remembered for his opposition to 1974's Bill 22 - a proposal to establish French as the official language of Quebec. He, along with one other Liberal MNA, voted against the Bill in the National Assembly.

Premier Philippe Couillard tweeted his respects on Wednesday.