Jean Lapierre Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

A former minister in the Canadian government and TV personality has been killed in a plane crash in Quebec. The Montreal Gazette reports that Jean Lapierre was on board the plane that went down on the morning of March 29. Police in the area have said there was no survivors from the crash. In total, seven people were killed, including Lapierre and members of his family.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. He Was Traveling With His Family to His Father’s Funeral

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According to his Twitter page, Lapierre’s father, also named Jean, died at the age of 83 in the last few days. He had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The funeral was taking place in Iles-de-la-Madeleine, according to the BBC.

The day before his death, Lapierre told a reporter from the Globe and Mail that he was “alternating between tears and laughter as we go over all of the good times we spent with our father.”

Global News reporter Monique Muise tweeted that the deceased are Lapierre, his wife, three of his siblings and two pilots.

He was a native of Bassin, Quebec.


2. The Cause of the Crash Was Snow & Heavy Winds

The Montreal Gazette reports that the director of the local ambulance services, Benoit Leblanc, said six people died on impact. Another person was rushed to a local hospital, that person later died.

The plane left from the airport in St-Hubert at around 9:30 a.m. on March 29, the plane crashed close to the runway in Iles-de-la-Madeline. Metro News Canada reports that the plane was a Mitsubishi turboprop that belonged to a private company.


3. He Had Been Retired From Politics Since 2007 & Had Been Concentrating on His Media Career

During his political career, Lapierre was twice elected to the Canadian parliament. During which time he served as both the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Youth and Amateur Sport. In 1984, when he was appointed to his first ministry by John Turner, Lapierre was only 28 years old. He was a member of the Liberal party despite a brief period in 1990 when he joined Bloc Quebecois. Lapierre returned home to the Liberal party in December 2003 under the stewardship of Prime Minister Paul Martin. Martin was quick to pay tribute to Lapierre.

In paying tribute to Lapierre, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre called the former politician a “friend, a fighter; close to the people.”


4. He Had 2 Daily Shows on Quebec Radio

On his profile at the website for CJAD, it says that Lapierre was “the province’s top political analyst due to his experience, ability to communicate and network of contacts.” That bio adds that Lapierre was on-air twice daily, at 7:40 a.m. and at 5:35 p.m. In addition, Lapierre was also a frequent contributor to CTV Montreal and CTV News Channel.

Lapierre studied law at the University of Ottawa.


5. He Was Married to Nicole Beaulieu

Lapierre married his wife Nicole Beaulieu in Quebec in 1989, according to a feature by the Canadian Press. That featured talked about a 2012 lawsuit Lapierre brought against Pierre Sormany, a former Radio Canada director. She said at the time that as a result of the lawsuit, her husband wasn’t sleeping and had resorted to taking pills.

Her Twitter page is almost entirely dedicated to posting photos of cats. Beaulieu’s moniker on the site was “The Cat.”