He was born on his parents' property near the village of Sainte-Thérèse on the north shore of Montreal, a property that has been farmed by his family since the early 1800s.
Il est né sur la terre de ses parents, localisée près du village de Sainte-Thérèse, sur la rive nord de Montréal, et cultivée par ses ancêtres depuis le début des années 1800.