Roy remembered as corruption fighter

A Quebec provincial politician who died suddenly Sunday succumbed to acute hepatitis, one of her political aides said Monday.

The cause of Sylvie Roy’s death was confirmed by Eric Vachon, a close confidant of Roy’s.

Roy, an independent member of the Quebec legislature, passed away at L’Enfant-Jesus Hospital in Quebec City, surrounded by friends and family. She was 51.

Her office said Roy had been hospitalized since late June with “serious discomfort” and her condition deteriorated rapidly.

The exact cause of the illness — which attacks the liver — remains a mystery. Roy was remembered Monday as one of the first and strongest voices in favour of a public inquiry into corruption in Quebec’s construction industry.