Former PQ minister Claude Morin dies at 96

Pictured here are Justice Minister Jean Chrétien (left), Roy Romanow of Saskatchewan (centre), and Claude Morin of Quebec (right) waiting on August 29, 1980, for the closing press conference in Ottawa following the official constitutional talks. (The Canadian Press archives)

Claude Morin, the architect of the Quiet Revolution, architect of the Parti Québécois’s victory in 1976, the scapegoat for the referendum’s failure and the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution, and persona non grata due to his ties to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has passed away at the age of 96.

Before his career was marred by controversy, Morin had been one of the builders who shaped the Quebec of today.

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette paid tribute on social media Tuesday to Morin’s dedication.

“He left his mark on Quebec at a pivotal moment in our history: the Quiet Revolution. As a member of René Lévesque’s government, he was a visionary, a guiding force behind major reforms that built the society in which we are fortunate to thrive,” Fréchette said.

Morin was first elected on Nov. 15, 1976. He was appointed Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, with a mandate to define the strategy for the 1980 referendum.

He left the government in January 1982 to return to teaching at the École nationale d’administration publique. In the early 1990s, he worked under Jacques Parizeau.

A few years later, a scandal erupted after it was revealed that Morin not only had ties to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but that he had also been paid by the federal police force, starting as early as 1975.

Morin attempted to explain his ties to the RCMP on several occasions and consistently denied having disclosed anything of significance. He attempted to explain himself again in 2006 by publishing “L’Affaire Morin: légendes, sottises et calomnies.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 5, 2026.