Francis Fox, former senator and cabinet minister, dies at 84

Francis Fox, a former senator and cabinet minister in Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s government, has died at 84.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says in a statement announcing the death that Fox was a lawyer who was first elected as a member of Parliament in Quebec in 1972.

Trudeau says Fox served under his father as solicitor general, minister of communications and secretary of state for Canada.

In January 1978, Fox was forced to temporarily resign from cabinet after acknowledging in public that he had forged the signature of his girlfriend’s husband on a hospital form so she could get an abortion.

Trudeau says Fox’s contributions in 12 years serving in Parliament included introducing the landmark Access to Information Act and overseeing the creation of Telefilm Canada.

Fox was appointed to the Senate in 2005 and resigned on Dec. 2, 2011, his 72nd birthday, citing personal and family reasons for leaving three years before the end of his term.

“Francis left an indelible mark on Canadian politics,” Trudeau said in the statement. “Today, we remember him and the legacy he leaves behind. On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my condolences to his family and friends.”