 He is the second-oldest of the couple's ten children, and grew up bilingual.His father was of Irish descent and his mother was of French-Canadian, and more distant Irish, ancestry.His maternal great-great-grandfather was the 9th Premier of Quebec, Honoré Mercier, and through his mother, Mulcair is also a three times great-grandson of the 1st post-Confederation Quebec premier, Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau.