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Born in Montreal, Quebec, he was the director of Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper available in the province of Quebec, from 1964 to 1978. During his tenure at the head of the editorial staff he became known for his probity and his mastery of contemporary political issues. His advice was sought by nearly all the provincial governments of Quebec, left or right, and by opposition parties.
As Liberal leader he led the defeat of the 1980 Quebec referendumThe 1980 Quebec referendum was the first referendum in Quebec that put to public vote the role of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward independent statehood ("sovereignty"). The referendum was called by Quebec's governing pa on sovereignty against René LévesqueRene Levesque ( August 24, 1922 November 1, 1987), was a reporter, a minister of the government of the Canadian province of Quebec ( 1960 1966), the founder of the Parti Quebecois political party, and Prime Minister of Quebec ( November 25, 1976 October 3, but then led his party to defeat in the 1981 electionIn the Quebec general election on April 13, 1981, the incumbent Parti Quebecois under Rene Levesque won re-election, defeating the Quebec Liberal Party under Claude Ryan. The PQ won re-election despite having lost the 1980 Quebec referendum on sovereignty and never became Premier of QuebecThe Premier of Quebec (in French Premier ministre du Quebec sometimes literally translated to Prime Minister of Quebec is the first minister for the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. After the Liberals regained power under Robert BourassaRobert Bourassa ( July 14, 1933- October 2, 1996) was a politician in Quebec, Canada. Born in Montreal, he served as Liberal Prime Minister of Quebec (premier) from May 12, 1970 to November 25, 1976. He served as premier again from December 12, 1985 to Ja in the 1985 electionIn the Quebec general election on December 2, 1985, the Quebec Liberal Party under Robert Bourassa defeated the incumbent Parti Quebecois under Pierre-Marc Johnson. This election marked the comeback of Robert Bourassa, whose political career had been thou, Ryan served as Minister of Education.
While many in English Canada might remember him for his work against the establishment of a completely independent Quebec, separate from Canada, those who followed his career, as a publisher and later as a politician, have noted that he was also totally opposed to the existing federal status quo, which he considered as too centralized, despite statements to the contrary by the then prime minister of Canada Pierre Elliott Trudeau.
He retired from politics in September 1994 and died in Montreal, on February 9, 2004 at 4:20 a.m, of stomach cancer. In 1995 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
After his death, he was the target of bitter insults by controversial sovereignist film director Pierre Falardeau . Falardeau's comments met with general disapproval from all sides of the political spectrum.