“Quebec is losing a giant” with the departure of Guy Lafleur, “the idol of a people”, reacted Prime Minister François Legault, who, according to our information, offered the family the possibility of holding a national funeral. .
• Read also: Legendary Guy Lafleur dies at 70
• Read also: Death of Guy Lafleur: rain of tributes to the announcement of the death of the Blond Demon
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But the final decision will be up to the family, we told our Parliamentary Bureau. The Prime Minister’s Office is already in contact with, among others, the organization of the Montreal Canadiens.
The media have been summoned to a press conference that the Prime Minister must give at 2 p.m. and during which we should learn more.
At state funerals, in addition to the ceremony, flags are flown at half-mast from dawn to dusk.
Two other great Quebec hockey heroes were entitled to this tribute: Maurice Richard, on May 31, 2000, and Jean Béliveau, on December 10, 2014.
- Guy Lafleur: “I would be surprised if the Prime Minister did not announce a state funeral,” says Lucien Bouchard
Many reactions
Like many political figures, François Legault turned to social networks on Friday morning to pay tribute to the Blond Demon.
“I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. All of Quebec is thinking of you. Guy Lafleur is one of our legends. He marked an entire generation of Quebecers. He made us dream. He made us win, ”wrote the Prime Minister, on Twitter.
“Today, all of Quebec remembers Thurso’s number 10. All of Quebec pays homage to him. Guy Lafleur will remain forever etched in our collective memory. He was the idol of a people,” he added.
The Minister responsible for Sport, Isabelle Charest, also published a message accompanied by a photo where she is surrounded by Guy Lafleur and Mike Bossy, who died a week ago.
“It’s a huge loss for Quebec. Such a nice man and a hockey legend. My thoughts are with his loved ones,” Ms.me Charest.
“We are losing a real monument. Guy Lafleur, the Blond Demon, is the hockey player who marked my childhood and that of an entire generation. His legacy will remain etched forever in the hearts of Quebecers,” reacted the leader of the official opposition, Dominique Anglade.
“Great players mark their sport. Idols mark peoples. Quebec had Guy Lafleur tattooed on his heart. We are all in mourning today,” reacted the parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.
“He is the idol of a whole people who have just left us. The blond Demon, the big no 10, the one who thrilled Quebec for so many years like no one else. An exceptional player and a man of deep kindness,” commented the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
