In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was saddened to learn of LeBlanc's death and hailed him as a "passionate Canadian who served his country with distinction and honour."
"He profoundly believed Canadians should know more about their own extraordinary, everyday courage," the prime minister said.
Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean expressed her condolences to LeBlanc's family and praised him as "a man known for his simplicity, his serenity and his generosity."
"He carried in him a love of the French language, in particular the accents, colours and rhythms of his Acadian roots, where he took his last breath, facing the ocean that cradled him in his youth," Jean said Wednesday in a statement.
