Jacques Parizeau lying-in-state visited by thousands

Thousands of people wound around the block outside of Montreal's Caisse de dpt on Saturday to pay their respects to Jacques Parizeau.

• Jacques Parizeau, former Quebec premier, dead at 84
• Jacques Parizeau public visitations take place this weekend

The former Quebec premier and Parti Qubcois leader, often referred to affectionately as "Monsieur,"died of cancer on June 1 at the age of 84.

Members of the public and politicians began streaming into theCaissebuilding in Old Montreal at 10 a.m. Saturday to say goodbye toParizeau.

"I have said it many timeshe is one of the fathers of modern Quebec,"said current PartiQubcoisLeader Pierre KarlPladeau.

Pladeau, who was visibly moved on Saturday,calledParizeaua "source of inspiration" and an example tomanyQuebecerswho want the province to be a successful, financially prosperous andindependent country.

Divisive figure

Parizeau will likely be largely remembered as a divisive figure in Quebec. Hisnear-success at getting Quebec to separate from Canada during thereferendum in 1995 scarred the collective psyche of many English-speakingQuebecers.

But before his tenure asPQ leader and then as Quebec premier, Parizeauserved an integral part in coaxing Quebec through its Quiet Revolution, an important time in the 1960s that saw the secularization of society and the creation of many social and economicprograms, such as the nationalization ofHydro-Qubec.

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Parizeau, a born-and-raised Montrealer,served as an economic advisor to the Quebec government for most of the 1960s and was later appointed finance minister by then-premierRenLvesque.

"I think instinctively people from all political stripes know what we owe JacquesParizeau," said Premier Philippe Couillard.

"It's a fantastic generation out of the '60s that built what is now modern Quebec. People are here to say thanks and so are we," Couillard continued.

TheCaissebuilding onPlace Jean-Paul-Riopelle in Montreal will be renamed in his honour as a tribute to his large contribution in creating the provincial pension fund manager in the 1960s.

Quebec City-area residents will be able to say goodbye on Sunday, when his body will lie in state at the National Assembly.

Parizeau's statefuneralwill take place on Tuesdayat 2 p.m. atSaint-Germain-D'OutremontChurch in Montreal.