Premier François Legault introduced Monday that the constructing housing the headquarters of Quebec’s medical health insurance board (RAMQ) in Quebec Metropolis would formally be named the Claude Castonguay Constructing.

Claude Castonguay, who is taken into account the daddy of the Quebec medical health insurance plan, handed away on December 12, 2020.

At a commemoration ceremony in his reminiscence on the Nationwide Meeting Monday, Legault described Castonguay as a builder of recent Quebec, noting that he “devoted 50 years of his life to the widespread good of Quebecers.”

“Even immediately, his legacy is vital to Quebecers, and that’s the reason we are going to rename the constructing of the RAMQ,” mentioned Legault.

He mentioned that the medical health insurance card, beforehand referred to as the castonguette, modified the lives of many individuals.

“The poorest individuals didn’t all the time have entry to all well being care. With card, it’s allowed everybody, no matter their social class, to have entry.”

Legault mentioned Claude Castonguay additionally “helped so much” within the founding of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).

“I consulted him,” he mentioned. “I frolicked at his residence in Nun’s Island to write down our electoral platform, and never simply in issues of well being. He was a person who had opinions and was prepared to vary issues.”

His son, Philippe Castonguay, mentioned his household was very grateful for the gesture.

“He’s a person who labored till very late in life. Even on the age of 90, he puzzled how we may transfer ahead, have extra social progress and social justice,” he mentioned.

This report was first printed in French by The Canadian Press on June 6, 2022.