Premier François Legault announced Monday that the building housing the headquarters of Quebec's health insurance board (RAMQ) in Quebec City would officially be named the Claude Castonguay Building.
Claude Castonguay, who is considered the father of the Quebec health insurance plan, passed away on December 12, 2020.
At a commemoration ceremony in his memory at the National Assembly Monday, Legault described Castonguay as a builder of modern Quebec, noting that he "dedicated 50 years of his life to the common good of Quebecers."
"Even today, his legacy is important to Quebecers, and that is why we will rename the building of the RAMQ," said Legault.
He said that the health insurance card, previously known as the castonguette, changed the lives of many people.
"The poorest people did not always have access to all health care. With card, it allowed everyone, regardless of their social class, to have access."
Legault said Claude Castonguay also "helped a lot" in the founding of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).
"I consulted him," he said. "I spent time at his home in Nun's Island to write our electoral platform, and not just in matters of health. He was a man who had opinions and was ready to change things."
His son, Philippe Castonguay, said his family was very grateful for the gesture.
"He is a man who worked until very late in life. Even at the age of 90, he wondered how we could move forward, have more social progress and social justice," he said.
This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on June 6, 2022.
