Jean Bazin (January 31, 1940 – December 12, 2019) was a Canadian lawyer and former senator. Early life and education Born in Quebec City, Bazin earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Licentiate of Laws from Université Laval in 1964. He was elected president of the Canadian Union of Students for the 1964-65 school year. While at Laval, Bazin became a close friend of another law student, Brian Mulroney, and was part of Mulroney's close circle of friends, including Bernard Roy, Lucien Bouchard, Michel Cogger, Michael Meighen and Peter White. Mulroney would go on to be Prime Minister of Canada; Bouchard would be Premier of Quebec; and Bazin, Cogger and Meighen would all become senators. While they were students, Roy was apparently the driving force to get them to study hard for their law degrees, as he did not think any of them had a future in politics. He ended up as Mulroney's chief of staff. Legal career Bazin was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1965, starting with the law firm of Byers Casgrain. He worked there for twenty-two years until he was called to the Senate. In 1970-71, Bazin was president of the Association du Jeune Barreau de Montréal (Young Lawyers Bar of Montreal). In that capacity, he was involved in the creation of the Bureau de l’assistance judiciaire du Barreau de Montréal, a forerunner to the provincial Aide juridique (Legal Aid) program. Bazin was also on the executives of the Barreau du Québec et the Barreau de Montréal (1972-1973). From 1987 to 1988, he was the national president of the Canadian Bar Association. Bazin was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1984 by the federal government. In 2011, the Barreau awarded him the distinction of Avocat émérite, in recognition of his excellence as a lawyer, his service to the profession, and his long-standing interest in alternative dispute resolution and plain language. Political career Bazin was active in the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and initially supported Joe Clark. However, after becoming disenchanted with Clark's leadership, he joined in the group which was pushing for Mulroney to replace Clark as party leader. In 1983, Mulroney was elected party leader. The following year, Mulroney led the Progressive Conservatives to a landslide victory in the 1984 general election. In 1986, the Mulroney government appointed Bazin to the Senate of Canada representing the senatorial division of De la Durantaye, Quebec. He