Marc Lalonde was active in Canadian politics for decades. The Montreal Gazette would label him "Pierre Trudeau's right-hand man." Trudeau was the longtime prime minister of Canada, who eventually appointed Lalonde to several Cabinet posts.
A member of the Liberal Party, Lalonde would remain on as the finance minister under Prime Minister John Turner. Pierre Trudeau's son, Justin, is now the country's prime minister. The younger Trudeau recently reminisced about his father and Lalonde's discussions in a statement memorializing the latter.
Passed away on May 7, 2023
Marc Lalonde has died, CTV News reports. A cause of death was not immediately released to the public, but news of his passing was quickly confirmed.
Lalonde got his start in politics as a staffer for Progressive Conservative Justice Minister Davie Fulton. He later served as an aide for Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. When Pierre Trudeau took over, he named Lalonde as his principal secretary. At the time, the posting was the most senior membership position on the prime minister's staff.
In 1972, Lalonde was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the first time. He was elected from the riding of Outremont, located in Montreal, Quebec. Almost immediately, Trudeau appointed him to three Cabinet positions.
Minister of national health and welfare, the minister responsible for the status of women, and the minister of amateur sport. He remained in those offices until 1977, 1976, and 1979, respectively.
In 1977, Trudeau gave Lalonde a special Cabinet position primarily aimed at dealing with separatist sentiment in Quebec—the home province for both men.
A year later, he began a brief tour of duty as minister of justice and attorney general.
The Liberal Party's defeat at the hands of the Progressive Conservatives meant Lalonde lost his role as a Cabinet minister. But the party would return to power following the following year's federal election. Trudeau made Lalonde his minister of energy, mines, and resources.
Two years later, he was named the minister of finance.
By 1984, John Turner had become prime minister. Lalonde would not stand as a candidate for re-election in that year's race. The Progressive Conservatives would again oust the Liberals as the party in government. Fellow Liberal Lucie Pepin would emerge victorious in the race for Lalonde's seat. She would later be appointed to the Canadian Senate, eventually becoming its speaker pro tempore.
It was later served as a judge
After retiring from elected politics, Marc Lalonde joined the law firm, Stikeman Elliott. In addition, he would become a reserve judge for the International Court of Justice. Prime Minister Paul Martin selected Lalonde to help lead the Liberals' campaign in Quebec for the 2006 election.
However, that year would be a poor one for the party in Quebec and the federal election.
Lalone was a native of L'Ile-Perrot, Quebec. He obtained degrees from the Universite de Montreal, Oxford University, and the University of Ottawa. In between early political roles, he practiced law in Montreal.
