Funeral of former Quebec minister Nadine Girault held in Laval

Quebec Premier Francois Legault speaks during the funeral of Nadine Girault in Laval, Que., Saturday, March 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

A final tribute was paid on Saturday to former Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) minister Nadine Girault, who died of lung cancer last month at age 63.

The private funeral was held at 2 p.m. at Les Espaces Memoria in Laval, where her loved ones could honour her memory one last time.

Premier François Legault attended the funeral. He spoke briefly to the media before the ceremony began.

“She was a woman who was radiant, always in a good mood, then; obviously, it is far too young, 63 years, to leave us,” he said. “We are all very sad, the big family of the CAQ today.”

Friday, at the same place where the funeral took place, members of the public offered their condolences to the family and loved ones of the former politician.

Elected as MP for Bertrand in the Laurentians in 2018, Girault served as Minister of International Relations and Francophonie, as well as Immigration, Francization and Integration, during the first term of the Legault government.

Last July, Girault announced that she would not be running in the October 2022 election because of her health.

Before entering politics with Coalition Avenir Québec, Girault held management positions at the Royal Bank, the Bank of Montreal and Desjardins, in addition to having served on several boards of directors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 4, 2023.