Passed away peacefully on May 1st, 2020 in Montreal, at the age of 91, Guy Gagnon QC LL. L. was a lawyer of great reputation who worked for the law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. He was also an actor, singer, musician, and lover of the arts and culture.
Guy was born in Ville Saint-Laurent on September 2, 1928. His father Gérard Gagnon was from Trois-Pistoles and his mother Gladys Miller grew up in Southend-on-Sea in the county of Essex in England. They met in the 1920s when they were both working for the Commercial Union Insurances company. Guy was the oldest in a family of seven children whose brothers and sisters are the late Gladys (late Jim Hildick), Lorraine (Michel Castro), late Claudette (René Boyce), Raymond (Lauraine), Pierrette (late Claude Simonin), Pierre (Louise Dumont) and Nathalie who was adopted by Guy’s parents in 1961.
Music was introduced into the world of Guy by his uncle Arthur Miller jr. who was a trumpet player in a Big Band from the 1930s. When he was playing in Montreal, his uncle always picks up the young Guy so that he could attend the rehearsals. This is how he discovered the swing, a very rhythmic style of Jazz played by every Big Band of this era. At home, there was no piano, but his mother played it by ear on summer evenings at the Hotel Park Inn Resort that grandfather Arthur Miller had bought around 1927 in Newaygo in the Laurentians by the Lake Saint-François-Xavier. There was no road. They went there by train up to Monfort. They would then walk a path or take a boat to reach the hotel. Electricity didn't get there. It was the time of oil lamps. But a generator allowed to produce it to light up the living room for evenings of musical entertainment where his mother played by ear popular songs on the piano. The cold room was cooled by a huge block of ice that lay in a bed of wood shavings and then completely covered by the same material. This site was a gathering place for all the descendants of Arthur Miller for more than twenty years. Guy lived memorable summers there.
In 1941, Guy began his classical course at Collège Saint-Laurent where he obtained his bachelor of arts in 1948. A boarder, he shared his room for all these years with Paul Reeves who later became a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec. With Paul, he will form a vocal group singing a cappella with their friends André Quesnel, Luc Geoffroy, and Claude Quesnel. They will name this group "Les Gamins de la Gamme" and will continue to sing together until the end of their university career in 1952. They have performed many times at Collège Saint-Laurent, at the Blue and Gold Reviews of the University from Montreal, and the radio show Radio Carabin on the Radio-Canada french broadcasting.
At Collège Saint-Laurent, Guy was also introduced to the flute that he would accompany him all his life. The college brass band in which he played was invited to the religious Fête Dieu ceremony held in the very catholic Quebec. “In his white military coat, his younger brother remembers, Guy participated in these long processions with the brass band in the streets of Saint-Laurent town playing his flute. "
He will also interest himself in the art of theater. Guy will play several roles over the years under the direction of Father Émile Legault (the founder of the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent). As part of the college’s 100th-anniversary celebrations, Guy will stand out in the title role of the adaptation of the gesture song “Huon de Bordeaux”. Comedian Gilles Pelletier will witness this performance, which he will describe as extraordinary. It will be the beginning of a long friendship between them.
Of working-age, Guy will practice several trades during his student summers. He started by working for his grandfather at the hotel in Newaygo. He went to greet customers by boat at Montfort station. And he most likely participated in the evenings of entertainment where you can easily imagine that he sang his repertoire of popular and folks songs. He was also a lumberjack, where he almost lost his thumb. With Edgar Fruitier, he was a summer guide on trams for tourists in Montreal. With these two scholars, tourists got their money's worth. Then he became a sailor in the merchant marine on the boats of the St. Lawrence.
It was in 1948, at the University of Montreal, that he met Louise Robert, a student in social services who would become the mother of his five sons. The university's law school offered a three-year course. But during his third year, the Barreau du Québec required the addition of a fourth year. This is how Guy was admitted to the Bar Association of Québec in 1952. A few months later, he married Louise. They will have a first child in 1953 (Pierre-Yves). Four other boys will follow in 1954 (Hubert), 1955 (Jean-François), 1957 (Philippe), and 1958 (Bertrand). It was in Ville Saint-Laurent in a small house adjacent to that of Guy's parents that they elected domicile. They moved in 1953 to Saint-Adèle. The family then settled in Outremont from 1958 until 1983.
Getting to the university from Ville Saint-Laurent for a class at eight in the morning was at the time a titanic task for a young Guy absorbed in the arms of Morpheus. His mother used to tell in her extraordinary franglish that Gérard, Guy’s father, was lighting matches near his toes to get him up. Thanks to his friend Marcel Trudeau, Guy had access to course notes which nevertheless enabled him to take the first morning lessons. He had invented distance courses before time.
These two friends developed a close friendship throughout the years at the university. They invited each other to their wedding, then lost sight of each other. It was in winter 1956, on the ski slopes of Mont Saint-Sauveur that they met again with their spouse Louise and Marcelle. A lasting friendship will flourish. The Trudeau families who have had no children will spend all their Christmas and ski weekends with the family of Guy and Louise for more than 20 years. The children affectionately called them Tonton and Tantine.
Speaking of skiing, Guy was an excellent skier. With Louise and their friends, they made several ski trips in the Alps. He continued to descend the slopes until the age of 75.
Guy began his career as a lawyer at Beauregard Raycraft Brisset after graduating from university. He joined Robert Lafleur's office, attorney of law, in 1957. During the same period, in 1955, Guy accepted Gilles Pelletier's invitation to join the actors of Guy Dufresne's television series, Cap-aux-Sorciers, broadcasted on the television of Radio-Canada. This program tells the life of the inhabitants of a village of navigators in the Charlevoix region. Captain Aubert, played by Gilles Pelletier, organized evenings every weekend in his manor where he told tales and legends from around the world. Folk songs and traditional dance were always in the spotlight, either in solo or by a choir. The actor and singer in Guy felt very comfortable there. He played the role of Jean-François, a young sailor. He adopted the pseudonym Pierre Belzil as his actor’s name. It was about his youngest brother and the Gagnon-dit-Belzil ancestors.
Due to illness, Robert Lafleur will be absent for a long period. After two seasons, Guy must, therefore, withdraw from the television series and devote all his time not to lose any of the 2000 clients of Mr. Lafleur's office. He systematically set out to communicate with each of them to gain their trust. This challenge, which he brilliantly overcome, propels his career and defines some of his great strengths, that is to spare no effort to learn, whatever the field or the issue, to master the law and its files, and above all, to take care of each client.
When Robert Lafleur became a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in 1960, this appointment led to the dissolution of his law practice. Guy then joined the law firm Blain Piché, one of the largest of the time. Guy created his legal study in 1965 with Jean H. Lafleur, the judge's son. They will build their long career side by side and when they collaborated on the same case, they formed a formidable duo. The study of Gagnon Lafleur & associés grows, quickly becomes Guertin Gagnon Lafleur, then Guertin Gagnon Lafleur Skelly Martel Forget, a firm specializing in labor law, industrial relations and administrative law. They acquired a reputation as leaders in an extremely competitive environment. Guy was one of the pillars of the firm. Appointed Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1967, he was known as a formidable litigator and a great negotiator, who led the boat even when it was playing hard (eg Murray Hill 1969). With the advent of supply management in the 1970s, he quickly developed an expertise that placed him at the forefront as a lawyer in several industries.
The lawyer he was mainly represented large corporations. He did not hesitate to represent companies in completely different industries that required the study of a whole field of regulatory clauses. He represented major employers' associations such as the Association of Flat Glass and the Association of Men's Clothing. He was notably the spokesperson for these associations in their collective bargaining. He was also very active in the agricultural world, representing a large number of companies before the Régie des Marchés Agricoles, which regulated this sector. He was also active in the transportation sector representing many companies in this industry. In this highly regulated era, a company had to demonstrate that the sector was not adequately represented by permit holders to obtain a permit. He could also represent companies that opposed a permit application. He was a fine negotiator with a great dose of patience. He generally knew how the negotiation was going to end before it even started. He sought to rally the parties to his arguments rather than trying to impose himself.
Before the administrative tribunals of these different industries, Mr. Guy Gagnon was both admired and feared by decision-makers and opponents both in terms of his knowledge of the field, as well as the quality of his arguments and the manner of presenting them. The pleading allowed him to highlight his qualities as a speaker who can occasionally resemble a theatrical scene. He did not hesitate to give a lecture in law during his oral arguments and the judges listened to him with respect.
Driven by their success, the firm merged with Martineau Walker in 1981, then, in the wake of pan-national mergers at the turn of the millennium, it became the international firm now known as Fasken. Guy became a senior partner of the firm and continued to work there until his retirement in the early 2000s.
Throughout his career, Guy will remain loyal to his love of music, theater, and the arts. He was always concerned about helping and was sure to lend assistance to artists, film producers, writers, and cultural organizations for whom he negotiated numerous deals.
Guy continued to be very active in all areas of the law he practiced during his long career. He was an excellent mentor for the youngest lawyers, which enabled the firm to maintain these practices, particularly in agricultural and labor law after his retirement. In the Media / Documents section, you will find Fasken's tribute.
It was in the fall of 1964 that he met Jan Simons, as part of a voice placement course organized by Cammac. Jan became his classical singing teacher with whom he will work his baritone voice for several decades. In 1965, he participated for the first time at a Cammac week of the music center on the shore of the lake McDonald. He would not stop going there every summer until 2017. Activities for families are still organized there today for seven weeks every summer. They consist of musical weeks on different themes. From chamber music to Jazz, Broadway, and opera stages, Cammac allows amateur musicians to come together with families of all ages, in a bucolic environment to share their love of music with passionate teachers.
As early as 1966, Guy became the organization’s legal adviser. In 1967 he was invited to join the board of directors on which he would sit until 1984. He served as president for 8 years from 1977. He was one of the great builders of Cammac. In the Media / Documents section you will find Cammac’s tribute by Margaret and Elizabeth Little, as well as an article on Guy’s important contribution by Rafik Matta, published in Cammac Express in March 1996.
In 1969 Guy and Louise decided to become a host family for participants in the Montreal International Music Competition. That year, the violin was in the spotlight. It’s a young Andrew Dawes who will stay at home during the competition. He was the first violin of the Orford Quartet which became recognized worldwide. Each time he gave a concert in Montreal, Andrew would come « home ». In 1978, Guy gave a memorable home concert accompanied by the Orford Quartet. He sang Samuel Barber's Dover Beach op.3. The experience of the international competition will be repeated with several other young musicians for a few years.
Guy passed on to his children the love of music, the stage, and the arts. They all learned to play musical instruments and to sing. One of them made his career playing the alto and another made a career in the theater. For five consecutive summers, he will rent a chalet at Lac McDonald and register his children for all of Cammac's musical weeks. He also did not hesitate to encourage his sons in their studies, which he financed up to their university studies.
During those same years, Guy and Louise were part of a group of friends who went from house to house to listen and discuss their passion, opera. Guy was also a great wine lover and joined the group "Les Tirs Douzils" which imported great wines in barrels which they bottled here and invited each other around a gourmet meal to taste them.
Yvette Brind'Amour and Mercedes Palomino invited Guy in 1970 to join their board of directors at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert. He enthusiastically accepted this appointment. He will sit until 2004. He became their legal counsel throughout this period. He was also secretary of the Rideau Vert Foundation from 1990 to 2001. In the Media / Documents section, you are invited to read the tributes of Guy Fournier and that of Antonine Maillet.
« Mais la vie sépare ceux qui s’aiment », wrote Jacques Prévert in the song « Les Feuilles Mortes ». Guy and Louise separated at the end of the year 1980.
Claude Fournier was looking for an actor to play the role of the lawyer Me Lemieux in his films « Les Tisserands du Pouvoir » (The Weavers of Power) broadcast on movie screens in 1988. He naturally turned to Guy used again his actor name Pierre Belzil. Guy continued to pay his annual membership fee to the Quebec artists' union until a few years ago. These films were later broadcast on television the following year as a television series.
Guy began to lose hearing in his left ear gradually around the age of 45. At 62 he suffers from spinning vertigo which causes him disequilibrium affecting his ability to walk. A non-cancerous tumor is identified on his auditory nerve. He was offered surgery which he objected to. It was then, that one of his stepdaughters offered him Dr. Kousmine's book, « Be mindful of your diet, up to 80 and beyond ».From this reading, Guy begins a radical transformation. He took a sabbatical year during which, true to himself, he immersed himself headfirst in a completely different field of expertise, the impact of food on health. He even made a trip to Switzerland to meet doctors who had worked with Kousmine. At the end of his research, Guy finally decided to adopt the macrobiotic diet which was very beneficial to his health. His doctor at Notre Dame Hospital followed him closely. The tumor had shrunk but has never disappeared. The loss of balance never returned. His doctor wrote a medical article about it. This step certainly contributed to allowing Guy to extend his life well beyond his 80th birthday.
Upon retiring, Guy builds a chalet on the shore of Lake Harrington next to Lake McDonald where Cammac is located. He will spend his retirement singing every summer at the musical center. In 1999, he asked pianist Françoise Lombard to accompany him to make a recording of the Dichterliebe op 48 by Robert Schumann and the An die Ferne Geliebte, opus 98, by Ludwig Van Beethoven. You can listen to these recordings in the Media / Music section.
On March 5, 2017, Guy attended the concert of the Hydro-Québec Choir of which one of his sons was a member. The latter had a solo to sing, Les Feuilles Mortes on a text by Jacques Prévert and music by the composer Joseph Kosma. When he is about to sing it, he asks is father Guy, who was in the audience, to join him on stage to sing this song with the choir. It was very moving. It was his last performance before an audience.
Life takes its course but sometimes holds sad news. Guy was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the fall of 2011. Despite the progressive loss of his abilities, Guy will continue to sing. Then his speech and signing ability started to fade. But we could see that in his thoughts he was still himself. When one of his sons sang him the Dichterliebe in german late January 2020, Guy interrupted his son to tell him that his pronunciation of the German language was bad. This is to say that he still had great listening skills. Until the end, he understood everything he was told and was very aware of his state of health. He just became less and less able to express it. A hard test for a man who had a phenomenal memory, an eloquence in speech, and a baritone voice of such beautiful sweetness.
You will be greatly missed, Guy!
