Book of Condolences for Guy Rocher

The period for offering your virtual condolences in the official register of the Government of Québec is now over.

Le Protocole of the Government du Québec thanks you for paying tribute to Mr. Guy Rocher.

Guy Rocher has had a profound impact on Québec history. Born in Berthierville in 1924, he studied sociology at Université Laval and Harvard before becoming a full professor at the Université de Montréal’s Department of Sociology.

In 1961, he was called upon by the government to take part in the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Education in the Province of Québec, better known as the Parent Commission. As a member, he played an important role in defending secularism in schools and access to education for all. The commission resulted in the creation of cégeps.

Rocher was also a fervent defender of French in Québec. In 1977 he helped draft the Charter of the French Lanuage alongside his friend Camille Laurin, who named him Deputy Minister of Cultural Development and Deputy Minister of Social Development.

He returned to the Université de Montréal in 1983, where he devoted himself fully to his passion for teaching and research. Over the course of his career, he published numerous books and articles that became mainstays in Québec sociology, including the indispensable Introduction à la sociologie québécoise (1969).

Guy Rocher also earned numerous accolades and honorary doctorates throughout his career. He was named a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec in 1991 and promoted to Grand Officer in 2020.

As a devoted intellectual and fervent defender of secularism, he continued to shape public discourse and inspire new generations of sociologists until the very end of his life.