Francis FOX

It is with great sorrow that the Fox family announces the passing of their beloved Francis, on September 24, 2024, at the age of 84, following a battle with cancer. He was predeceased by his parents, the late Francis Moore Fox and the late Pauline Taschereau. He is survived by his beloved wife, Viviane Case-Fox, a talented Montréal artist; their two children, Julianna (Anthony), and Daniel (Mélanie); his beloved son, John (Danielle); his grandchildren, Olivia and Isabelle, Jasper and Benjamin, Victoria, Kate, and Jacob; his brother, Bob (Joan); and his two sisters, Marie-Hélène (the late Claude Morin) and Elizabeth (Bill), many nieces and nephews, as well as grandnieces and grandnephews. He will forever remain in their memories with deep affection. He started his academic training at Montreal's Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, followed by law at l'Université de Montréal (LL.L.), and Harvard University (LL.M.), and then Oxford University (M.A.) as a Rhodes scholar. Having been admitted to the Québec bar in 1963, he began his legal practice at the Montréal firm of Tansey, de Grandpré and de Grandpré. Following the changing of the guard in Ottawa with the arrival of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Francis arrived on Parliament Hill in 1968, and was subsequently recruited to the Prime Minister's office by Marc Lalonde, then chief of staff of Prime Minister Trudeau. He was elected in the riding of Argenteuil-Deux-Montagnes in 1972, and re-elected in 1974. He was appointed Solicitor General of Canada in 1976. Following a restructuring of the electoral map, he was elected in the new riding of Blainville-Deux-Montagnes in 1979, and re-elected in 1980 after Prime Minister Trudeau's return to politics. He was Minister of Communications, a portfolio he held until 1984, initiating many new federal cultural policies, including the creation of Telefilm Canada. His contributions also included introducing the landmark Access to Information Act. He held the position of Secretary of State of Canada from 1980 to 1981, during which time he introduced the legislation that made "O Canada" our National Anthem. When Prime Minister John Turner was in office, he became the Minister of International Trade in 1984. It was also in 1984, that he returned to the practice of law with the Montréal-based firm Martineau Walker, now known as Fasken. While there, he served numerous clients, including Rogers Wireless. In the early 1990s, Ted Rogers invited him to join Rogers Wireless, where he went on to hold various leadership positions. In 2002, he was appointed its President of Strategic Relations. In 2003, he returned to Ottawa as principal secretary to Prime Minister Paul Martin and was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2005, a position he held until 2011. He was always passionate about Montréal. From 1996 to 2003, he served as Chair of the Board of Montréal International, where his hard work and dedication were greatly admired by his colleagues, who nicknamed him a "co-founder" of the organization, and where he appreciated the unwavering support and professionalism of its first President, Jacques Girard. More recently, he deployed a lifetime of political skill playing a critical role to support Cystic Fibrosis Canada in their efforts to ensure that Canadians with Cystic Fibrosis have access to life changing medication. A celebration of his life will be held at Saint James's Club of Montreal on October 18th from 11 a.m. to noon. Guests are welcome to arrive at 10 a.m., to meet the family or remain after the celebration until 2 p.m. The Saint James's Club of Montreal is located at 1145 Union Ave., Montreal. Your expressions of sympathy may take the form of a donation to Cystic Fibrosis Canada at the following link https://cysticfibrosistribute.crowdchange.ca/2196/page/270651.