MONTREAL _ Tributes poured in for the late Paul Desmarais on Tuesday at a commemorative ceremony headlined by a veritable who's who of public figures past and present.
Four Canadian prime ministers, a former French president and five Quebec premiers were among those who attended a two-hour memorial for the business tycoon at Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica. He died Oct. 8 at the age of 86.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and two of his predecessors, Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney, delivered eulogies for a man described as both a business titan and a humble, giving friend.
Mulroney, a longtime friend, recalled an exchange he observed years ago between Desmarais and a couple of the businessman's employees at his estate in Quebec's Charlevoix region.
Only a few days earlier, Mulroney and Desmarais had eaten dinner together with the Queen at 24 Sussex Drive.
``I saw Paul seated on the porch with...two of his most trusted workers,'' Mulroney told hundreds of people who had packed the Basilica pews for the ceremony.
``They were talking about plans for a new garage and a new road for access to the property. I was listening to their conversation on that morning... when something struck me.
``I realized that Paul was interacting with the workers exactly the same way he had with Her Majesty. He was the same man: warm, funny, respectful and direct.''
Desmarais, a native of Sudbury, Ont., took over a near-bankrupt family bus operation and eventually built a multibillion-dollar business empire. Over the years, he cultivated political connections on different continents.
Tuesday's crowd of political and business heavywieghts also included Quebec Premier Pauline Marois and her predecessors Daniel Johnson, Lucien Bouchard, Bernard Landry and Jean Charest.