Manitoba NDP minister Gérard Lécuyer advanced francophone education rights.

Gérard Lécuyer, who died at age 88, was a Manitoba NDP minister and a discreet organizer who helped create the provincewide francophone school division (DSFM) and played a role in the Supreme Court Reference re Public Schools Act decision.

Gérard Lécuyer died at age 88 and is remembered as a steady, self-effacing public figure. He served as a Manitoba NDP MLA and minister in the 1980s under Premier Howard Pawley. After leaving elected office, he worked as an organizer for francophone education and led efforts tied to legal and governance changes. Family and community figures describe him as proud, faithful in his beliefs, and committed to a bilingual Canada. Noted contributions: - Served as an NDP MLA from 1981 and held cabinet roles including environment and workplace safety and health in the 1980s. - Helped build support for Manitoba's first provincewide francophone school division, la Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM). - Became executive director of the Fédération provinciale des comités de parents du Manitoba (FPCP) and was involved in the group's legal challenge to The Public Schools Act. - Was an advocate in the 1993 Reference re Public Schools Act at the Supreme Court of Canada, a case that clarified obligations under Section 23 of the Charter. - The Reference re Public Schools Act ruling required provinces to establish schools and governance structures to make minority-language education rights practical. - Continued advocacy included successful work on French school governance in the Yukon in 1996 and earlier international teaching through CIDA. Summary: Lécuyer’s work helped translate Section 23 rights into institutions such as the DSFM and influenced how courts and governments implement minority-language education. The Reference re Public Schools Act remains a frequently cited decision that shapes obligations for provincial education systems. Undetermined at this time.