A special Eucharist celebration for Haiti is set to take place at 4 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph's Oratory.
Premier Jean Charest and Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois are among many dignitaries, priests and members of the Haitian community in attendance.
Archbishop of Montreal, Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, resided over the ceremony.
During the mass, a special collection took place for Development and Peace, represented in Haiti via the Caritas International Aid Organization.
Former MP's body found
Politicians at the Eucharist commented on the discovery of former Liberal MP Serge Marcil's body, found amidst the rubble in Port-au-Prince, his wife confirmed Saturday.
"We lost a close friend, a colleague, someone who made a difference," said former leader of the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal party Denis Coderre. "But at least we found his body."
Marcil, a federal Liberal MP from 2000 to 2004, had been riding in an elevator at the hotel moments before the 7.0-magnitude quake struck.
A colleague with whom Marcil had been riding in the elevator was rescued on Jan. 13, the day after the quake.
Late last week, United Nations rescuers believed they had found Marcil alive but injured. Quebec Premier Jean Charest reported that Marcil had been transported to Miami for medical treatment.
Pelchat had travelled to Florida to be reunited with her husband and only learned of the mistake once she got to the hospital.
Earlier Saturday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon had confirmed that 17 Canadians were killed in the Jan. 12 earthquake, and warned that total is likely to rise in the days and weeks ahead.
"Serge was a gift life gave me," Marcil's wife, Christine Pelchat said in a statement released Saturday.
"He was a humanist, a loving husband, caring, with a natural tenderness."
