Claude Béchard, 1969-2010

I never talked to him and knew him only by reputation, so anything I say about the man might sound trite, but here goes. You realize, when a 41-year-old father of four dies of cancer, the extent to which politics is a trifling game in comparison. And yet, it is a measure of that man that he took the game so seriously that he literally played it until he was on his deathbed, giving it up only to die. That is heart, folks. I’m sorry he’s gone.