I would indeed agree with he editorial, since not only was he decades ahead  on political financing, he helped nationalise electricity in the province ,and started contributing to this when he was stull a provincial liberal under the  Lesage government, same for women's right in that province, he helped advance the cause when he was a provincial liberal minister. Furthermore in his later career he actually became a federalist again, even as a PQ Leader when he endorsed Mulroney's Meech Lake accord and called it le Beau Risque.. essentially trying federalism as PQ leader. This endorsement gave the Conservatives 58 sets in Quebec in 1984!