Federalists and sovereigntists joined about 900 mourners on Saturday at the funeral of Bloc Québécois MP Benoît Sauvageau, who died Monday after the car he was driving hit a parked tow truck.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, several Liberal MPs, Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe and Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair were among those paying last respects at Notre Dames des Champs church in Repentigny, east of Montreal.

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and Prime Minister Stephen Harper leave funeral services for MP Benoît Sauvageau in Repentigny, Que.
(Ian Barrett/Canadian Press)

"This is truly a tragedy," Liberal MP Denis Coderre said, "and I'm here in a moral way to support his family, to say he was a great dad, a great person.

"We've been working on several issues together, but there's a fraternity, I would say, a brotherhood of politicians. We want to send a clear message of respect and say we truly appreciate him in the House."

Duceppe called Sauvageau's death "just awful.… We're losing a great guy."

Boisclair said he was loved by his constituents and colleagues.

"He's the kind of MP we would all like to have as our MP. He was this very efficient, smiley guy. He was a proud Quebecer, a proud sovereigntist. He was at the beginning of the Bloc Québécois, so he paved the way for many sovereigntists in Quebec."

Sauvageau, who was 42, had been an MP since 1993, the year the Bloc burst forth as the Official Opposition in Parliament.

He had been the Bloc's Treasury Board critic since 2004 and earlier held critic posts for departments ranging from amateur sport to international trade.

He previously worked as a social sciences teacher and a professor of constitutional history.

He is survived by his wife and four daughters.