a Québécois Canadian poet and novelist. He was the author of the famous poem Un Canadien Errant (English: A Wandering Canadian). He was the father of the sociologist Leon Grin. In 1844 he proposed the founding of the famous Institut Canadien of Montreal and became its first secretary; he delivered several addresses to the members and was elected president in the summer of 1845, serving until November 1846. He was also appointed secretary of the Association Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Montreal in April 1845 and retained this post for several years. Abandoning journalism towards the middle of 1847, Gérin-Lajoie devoted himself to the study of law, at the same time maintaining a close interest in politics.
