(Montreal) Politician André Spénard has died at the age of 72. From 2012 to 2018 he was a member of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) in Beauce-Nord and from 1996 to 2005 he was mayor of Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce.
Posted at 9:31 p.m
Born in Thetford Mines, Mr Spénard was primarily a school consultant and then a director of several adapted companies from 1976 to 2010.
In his second term as deputy, he held the position of Vice-President of the Public Finance Commission.
He has also been involved with several organizations including Habitations du Moulin, an HLM for people with disabilities, and on the board of the Beauce-Etchemin Health and Social Services Center.
In 2018 he decided not to run for a new term in the National Assembly.
The current Beauce-Nord MP, to whom Mr Spénard had pledged his support, shared his thoughts on his Facebook page.
“It is with great sadness that I learn today (although I know his condition in recent days) the departure of André Spénard,” wrote Luc Provençal, also elected under the CAQ banner.
“Unfortunately, as soon as he retired from public life in 2018, the illness overtook him,” he added, speaking of a person with whom he “developed a great friendship over time”.
Prime Minister François Legault responded on Twitter in the evening.
“André was a proud Beauceron who devoted much of his life to public service. He was a straight man, a good guy. I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I offer my sincere condolences to his wife Odette, his family and loved ones,” wrote the CAQ boss.