The Quebec government will only pay a fraction of the reported $700,000 price tag of the national funeral of Quebec singer Céline Dion's husband, René Angélil, according to government documents made public Thursday.

The amount paid by the province – less than $50,000 – was released by the Quebec International Relations Department in response to Freedom of Information access requests from several media outlets.

A source confirmed the $700,000 total cost first reported by Cogeco Media radio, which said Mr. Angélil's funeral was planned by Feeling Productions Inc., the company that manages Ms. Dion's career.

Story continues below advertisement

In Quebec, state and national funerals are the responsibility of the International Relations Department, which has a branch handling protocol.

François Caouette, press secretary for International Relations Minister Christine St-Pierre, would not say how much Feeling Productions had spent for Mr. Angélil's Jan. 22 funeral at Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica.

"Yes, Feeling Productions ran up some costs as a result of the Angélil funerals, and they showed us a breakdown," Mr. Caouette said. "We only accepted to cover some costs."

He said the province covers the full cost of state funerals, which are reserved for former premiers. This would include the funeral service, the casket and the rental of the church.

As a prominent Quebecker, Mr. Angélil had a national funeral, a decision announced by Premier Philippe Couillard a day after the impresario's Jan. 14 death.

In such cases, the province would only cover a portion of the expenses, from $45,000 to $75,000, Mr. Caouette said.

"I can tell you that what the Quebec government will pay will be within that bracket."

Story continues below advertisement

According to the documents released Thursday, the department agreed to cover $49,770.76 of the Angélil funeral costs.

When converted into current dollars, the government payment for previous national funerals ranged from $87,000 for former Liberal leader Claude Ryan to $26,686 for the poet Gaston Miron.

The last national funeral held before Mr. Angélil's was for the hockey great Jean Béliveau, which cost the public coffers $60,582.

For state funerals, the government assumed the full $143,575 cost for former Quebec premier Jacques Parizeau, who was laid to rest last June.

Former premier Robert Bourassa's state funeral in 1996 cost the province the equivalent of $134,691 in today's dollars.

There was no immediate explanation why Mr. Angélil's funeral was about five times more expensive than the services for Mr. Parizeau or Mr. Bourassa.

Story continues below advertisement

Feeling Productions didn't answer a request for comment.

The Cogeco Media report said part of the organizing was subcontracted to Evenko, a prominent Montreal concert promoter, with government protocol officers assuming a minimal role.

"My understanding is that people at Feeling Productions and in Mr. Angélil's entourage wanted to celebrate his memory in a grand way, and that's their choice," the source said.