Parizeau left mark on HEC Montréal

On Monday evening, we at HEC Montréal lost a proud representative of the school, a man of heart and mind, a distinguished economist, an adored professor, a seasoned journalist, an erudite former premier, even an architect of modern Quebec: Jacques Parizeau. His invaluable contribution to our institution and Quebec as a whole is undeniable.

Like many other professors at HEC, I was lucky enough to benefit from Parizeau’s teaching. He immediately impressed me with his intelligence and his unfailing ability to captivate his audience. His tremendous culture and experience helped him share his knowledge with flair. He taught us to view economics as something more than theory, to look beyond established ideas, and to do so with rigour and passion. He was deeply attached to the teaching profession, and in fact always considered himself an academic first and foremost, despite his political career.

The proof is that as soon as he retired from politics, he was always there for his alma mater. During his more than two decades in teaching at HEC Montréal, he devoted himself to training a new generation of francophone Quebec financiers and economists, of whom I am one. His intellectual rigour, his passion and his great skills as a professor made him an example for all of us.

I join all the members of the HEC Montréal community in offering our most sincere condolences to Parizeau’s family and his many friends. We have lost one of the great builders of the school and of Quebec itself, but his renown and his influence over many generations will always remain. Michel Patry, Director, HEC Montréal