Former Quebec premier Bernard Landry dies at 81

Former Quebec premier Bernard Landry, a sharptongued soldier for the independence movement and longtime Parti Quebecois stalwart, died Tuesday at the age of 81.

Landry, premier between 2001 and 2003, dedicated decades of his life to the sovereigntist cause and was part of every significant political battle fought by the PQ since its inception in 1968.

His health had been failing in recent months, and in midOctober he began receiving visits from old friends and political allies at his home in Vercheres, Que.

Landry was at home alongside his family when he died of complications from a pulmonary disease, his personal assistant, Odette Morin, told The Canadian Press.

Political leaders said Landry will be remembered for his strong political convictions, his economic vision for the province and his love of Quebec.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault, a minister in Landry’s government, said he gained insight into the former premier’s character during a 2002 cabinet shuffle. Landry informed him he was being moved from education to health, a move Legault did not relish.

“He said: ‘Francois, it’s your duty!’ “he recalled. “For him, duty was important.”

Legault said Landry should be remembered as a giant of Quebec politics, on the same stage as former premiers Rene Levesque and Jacques Parizeau.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said Landry will also be remembered for his vision of Montreal as a technological powerhouse.

As finance minister in the late 1990s under Lucien Bouchard, Landry created a tax credit for the video-game sector, which helped the industry flourish in Quebec. He also gave tax credits to tech companies to encourage them to move into a neglected section of Old Montreal.