PAUL DESMARAIS (1927-2013) - Biography

By Bernard Bujold (LeStudio1.com) - 
It's Tuesday afternoon, December 3, 2013 that will be presented at the Basilica Notre-Dame in Old Montreal the ceremony in honor of Paul Desmarais.
The event will be broadcast live on many television networks in Canada from 3 p.m.
PAUL DESMARAIS SR. is probably the Canadian businessman who was most notable for its audacity but especially for its continuity. The man has built a unique empire in the world! 
His death on October 8, 2013 is very sad! 
I had the chance to meet the character a few times in 1984 while he was a friend of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Later I often saw him in Montreal when he had his office in front of Quebecor. Paul Desmarais loved to discuss but he was also very secretive about his business projects. Canada and Quebec lost a great man whose memory will persist. 
I photographed Paul Desmarais twice: once when he gave a speech at the Woodrow Wilson Institute in May 2003 in Montreal and later I would photograph him again at a party at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal with the Ambassador of France to Canada. 
Photo 1, 2 and 3: Paul Desmarais at the Woodrow Wilson Institute (Photo by Bernard Bujold 2003);
See photo album tribute LeStudio1.com ; 
See pictures the Woodrow Wilson Institute (2003) ; 
See pictures Museum of Fine Arts (2008) ; 
See biography Paul Desmarais ;
See Official press release ;
See opinion by Conrad Black ;