Quebec bids farewell to Guy Rocher, the last pillar of Quiet Revolution
Posted October 2, 2025 9:23 am.
The state funeral of eminent sociologist Guy Rocher will be held today.
The ceremony in his honor will take place in the Salle Pierre-Mercure at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) beginning at 2 p.m. It is being organized with the collaboration of the deceased’s family and friends.
Beforeward, his remains will lie in state from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Agora of UQÀM’s Judith-Jasmin Pavilion, where the public can pay their last respects to one of the greatest intellectuals and architects of the Quiet Revolution.
As with other events of this kind, a limited number of tickets are available for the state funeral. Those unable to attend are invited to write a message to Rocher’s family in the government’s condolence book (Québec.ca/condolences).
This thinker, born in Berthierville on April 20, 1924, passed away on Sept. 3 at the age of 101.
Guy Rocher contributed to several major changes in Quebec’s contemporary history. He was notably a member of the famous Parent Commission, which laid the foundations of the modern education system. He played an important role in defending access to education for all and advocating for the secular nature of educational institutions.
He was also one of the architects of Bill 101 on French as the official language of Quebec, adopted by the government of René Lévesque in 1977.
Over the course of his long career, he published numerous books and articles that have become benchmarks in sociology, including the essential “Introduction to General Sociology,” published in 1969.
Premier François Legault, who will be in attendance, praised Rocher’s “invaluable legacy” in his inaugural address to the fall parliamentary session on Tuesday.
“I want to pay tribute to the memory of the architect of the Charter of the French Language, an intellectual giant, a remarkable man, a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec: Guy Rocher. As Mr. Rocher showed us, we have always had to fight to continue to exist. It is no different today.” “The French language, our shared values, and our culture are always at risk. We must not bury our heads in the sand,” he declared in the Red Room of the National Assembly.
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, will also be present at the ceremony.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
