‘Architect’ of charter dies

Roger Tassé, who is considered the architect of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, died in hospital Saturday in Gatineau. He was 85.

His wife, Renée Marcil Tassé, told The Canadian Press that Tassé had been receiving dialysis treatment for several years and that doctors had been closely monitoring his condition since discovering water in his lungs.

In 1980 Tassé led a team of Justice Ministry lawyers tasked with helping political leaders to reach an agreement on thecharter.

In 1982 he was deputy justice minister in the Liberal government of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau where he played a lead role in the patriation of the Canadian Constitution.