May 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nYet his legacy was complicated. For some, his reputation was tarnished by revelations that he had acted as an informant for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the 1970s. It was a role he maintained as a way to better understand Ottawa without harming Quebec\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n
Morin was born in 1929 in Montmorency, near Quebec City. He studied economics at Universit\u00e9 Laval before earning a graduate degree at Columbia University. He then returned to Quebec in the late 1950s with his American wife, Mary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that academic path then shifted in the early 1960s, when he was recruited to write speeches for Liberal Premer Jean Lesage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By 1963, he had entered government as deputy minister of federal-provincial affairs, helping steer relations during a period of rising nationalist sentiment encapsulated by the slogan \u201cMa\u00eetres chez nous.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went on to play a role in major reforms, including efforts tied to the nationalization of electricity, and remained a key adviser through the governments of Daniel Johnson, Jean-Jacques Bertrand and Robert Bourassa.<\/p>\n
He joined the Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois in 1972 at the invitation of Ren\u00e9 L\u00e9vesque, becoming both a strategist and later minister of intergovernmental affairs. A proponent of \u201cgradualism,\u201d he argued that Quebec should pursue sovereignty through a referendum after securing electoral legitimacy.<\/p>\n
As minister, he was deeply involved in the lead-up to the 1980 referendum on sovereignty, which ultimately failed, with 59.56 per cent voting \u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Claude](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/na_claude_92279656.jpg\")
Claude Morin votes in the 1980 Quebec referendum. Gazette file photo<\/p>\n
He also played a role in managing Quebec\u2019s external relations, seeking to limit foreign involvement in the referendum debate.<\/p>\n
The following year brought another defining moment: the constitutional negotiations that culminated in the \u201cNight of the Long Knives,\u201d when the federal government and other provinces reached an agreement without Quebec\u2019s consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Morin resigned from politics in December 1981, saying he had always intended to step down after the referendum.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His departure was also overshadowed by disclosures of his contacts with the RCMP, which divided colleagues. It left L\u00e9vesque reportedly stunned.<\/p>\n
He later returned to academia at the \u00c9cole nationale d\u2019administration publique. He also authored several books reflecting on his years in power and Quebec\u2019s political evolution.<\/p>\n
Morin is survived by his five children and their spouses, seven grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and two sisters.<\/p>\n
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