Members of the public wave flags as the funeral procession of former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau leaves Saint-Germain-D'Outremont Church in Montreal June 9, 2015. Parizeau died on June 1 at the age of 84.CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/Reuters
They came to say adieu to an icon of the Quebec sovereignty movement, but refused to bury the idea that he believed in.
As an honour guard carried the flag-draped casket of former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau into church on Tuesday, dozens of the faithful on the streets outside broke into applause for a man they regarded as a titan in the cause of an independent Quebec.
"He is gone, but the dream will always be there," said Jean-Guy Godin, a retired aeronautical technician who chose to spend his 60th birthday waiting on the sidewalk so he could attend Mr. Parizeau's funeral.
As if to prove the point, the crowd clapped enthusiastically at the arrival of Gilles Duceppe, the former Bloc Québécois leader set to return to lead the moribund party in what supporters hope is a sovereigntist revival.
But the day was dedicated to paying homage to a Parti Québécois premier who loomed large over Quebec's political psyche even after he left office. Mr. Parizeau, who died on June 1 at age 84, is known in Canada as the man who came within 55,000 votes of destroying the country, then gracelessly blamed "money and ethnic votes" for the defeat.
He was a polarizing figure – respected more than loved by his supporters, loathed by his detractors. But the gathering of political friend and foe inside the Saint-Germain-d'Outremont church was a testimonial to the stature of a politician regarded as a builder of contemporary Quebec and tireless campaigner for the cause he espoused until his last breath.
The service brought together a virtual who's who of the province's recent history, including every living Quebec premier – seven in all.
Federal leaders also paid tribute. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair praised Mr. Parizeau as "tough, determined" and a "man of great intellect." Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau paid homage to Mr. Parizeau as a "man with a big heart."
"He had a political and philosophical brilliance that had a great impact on how modern Quebec turned out," Mr. Trudeau said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is in Europe, was represented by Conservative Quebec lieutenant Denis Lebel.
Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard, speaking to hundreds of mourners inside the church, said Mr. Parizeau was central to Quebec's transformation and left the province a legacy of "economic emancipation."
As economic adviser to the Jean Lesage government in the early 1960s, Mr. Parizeau was an architect of the Quiet Revolution, in which Quebec emerged from under the thumb of the Catholic Church.
"Quebec remembers. It will remember. With other great builders of our nation, you now belong to history," Mr. Couillard said.
The ceremony was not without political intrigue. Among the speakers was Jean-Martin Aussant, who is regarded as a political protégé of Mr. Parizeau's. Mr. Aussant is a former PQ legislator who quit in 2011 to found a new political party, and is now an economist in London.
With current PQ Leader Pierre Karl Péladeau sitting among the mourners, Mr. Aussant seemed to hint at a return.
"If there is one thing [Mr. Parizeau's] departure should bring, it's the end of exiles, of all exiles," he said.
The remarks caused a buzz on social media.
Mr. Aussant also said that he was told by a senior Wall Street financier that because of Mr. Parizeau's economic "credibility," Quebec's credit rating would not have been downgraded in the advent of a Yes vote in the 1995 referendum. And he praised Mr. Parizeau's dedication to the sovereigntist cause.
"Born from a people whose history contains trauma, doubts and fears, he incarnated self-confidence and the capacity – even the duty – to run our own affairs," Mr. Aussant said.
Mr. Couillard gave Mr. Parizeau's widow, Lisette Lapointe, the Quebec flag that had flown at half-mast above the National Assembly.