 His sister, Carole Facal, is a noted singer-songwriter in Quebec.Facal has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Université du Québec à Montréal (1983), a Masters of Arts degree in Political Science from the Université de Montréal (1986), and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the Sorbonne (1993).He lectured at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montréal and Concordia University before starting his career as an elected official.