Eminent sociologist Guy Rocher was remembered by Quebec society during a national funeral held at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) on Thursday. Born in Berthierville on April 20, 1924, Rocher is considered one of the greatest intellectuals and architects of the Quiet Revolution. He died on Sept. 3 at the age of 101. The Quebec government, with the consent of his family, organized a national funeral for the man, who was behind several major changes to Quebec’s contemporary history. Arriving at the afternoon ceremony, Premier François Legault recalled the sociologist’s “immense contribution” to Quebec. Rocher was a member of the famous Parent Commission, which laid the foundations for the modern education system. He played an important role in defending access to education for all and advocating for secularism in educational institutions. He was also one of the architects of Bill 101 on French as Quebec’s official language, passed by the René Lévesque government in 1977. An example even today Legault cited the importance of Rocher’s writings, particularly on secularism’s role in Quebec. “Even my government and I still use Guy Rocher’s writings for inspiration on the place of secularism in our common values,” he said at a press conference. Rocher embodied “the emancipation of Quebec,” added PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. “His work is colossal, very positive for Quebec, but it is also unfinished, by his own admission,” he said shortly before the ceremony. “The Quebec we live in today is the Quebec he helped build with others. (...) We all owe him something. I feel like I am the heir to Mr. Guy Rocher’s legacy,” said Québec solidaire spokesperson Ruba Ghazal. Marwah Rizqy, representing the Quebec Liberal Party, said that “his legacy is immense and invaluable.” During the ceremony, Rocher’s loved ones took to the stage and shared family anecdotes to a packed audience. One of his daughters, Anne-Marie Rocher, said his books were his “legacy to the Quebec nation.” To pay tribute to his “titanic work,” his daughters, granddaughters, and great-grandchildren each placed one of the sociologist’s books on a desk on stage, where his urn was located. Earlier in the day, dozens visited the funeral chapel in the agora of the Judith-Jasmin Pavilion at UQAM, the university of which he was a founder. Many of the awards he received during his career were displayed near his urn, surrounded by flowers. The choice of this location was highly symbolic -- the former Saint-Jacques Church, which became secular “just as he himself did in the 1960s,” explained UQAM Rector Stéphane Pallage. Social worker and unionist Gérald Larose called it a “duty” to come and pay his last respects to Rocher, whom he considers “the father of modern Quebec.” “He was a revolutionary, but also calm because he always had progressive proposals. And at 100 years old, he still had them,” he said. The pride of teaching Among the crowd that lined up in the morning, several dignitaries also came to offer their condolences to Rocher’s loved ones. “We remember how much this man was a great builder of modern Quebec,” said Higher Education Minister Martine Biron. “He taught us that learning was important, and that made us, the people of Quebec, stronger. I believe that his work must be continued,” she added. Pallage noted that if there is one thing to remember about Rocher’s work, it’s the importance of academic freedom. “We must always put freedom first—freedom of thought, freedom to create, freedom to teach, academic freedom, in fact. It is an essential value in a democratic society,” he said, noting that this freedom is “under threat in many places today.” Former Quebec premier Pauline Marois recalled asking him what he was most proud of out of all his accomplishments. “He told me, ‘It was my 50 years of teaching because I was a facilitator, I helped people become responsible citizens.’ And that was his greatest contribution to Quebec,” said Marois, who is now UQAM’s chancellor. After following Rocher’s career, his biographer Pierre Duchesne shared a similar anecdote during his speech at the ceremony. “(Becoming) a teacher was the great joy of his life, his pride and passion until the end,” he said. “Mr. Rocher, in a century of existence, you have given so much to Quebec... We need more people like you. Dear Guy Rocher, thank you,” concluded Duchesne, his voice trembling with emotion. The secular ceremony ended with the crowd singing a fitting song, “Adieu monsieur le professeur” (‘Farewell, professor’). His three surviving daughters—Anne-Marie, Geneviève, and Isabelle—then gathered around the urn placed in the centre of the stage. — With information from Sébastien Auger, in Montreal – This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 2, 2024.
