A state funeral will be held in Ottawa Monday for former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn. He died on Wednesday at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer.

The Canadian flag will fly at half mast on the Peace Tower and all federal government buildings across Canada until sunset on Monday -- the same day his funeral takes place at Christ Church Cathedral.

Details about a lying-in-state will be released later by the government.

Hnatyshyn died of complications from pancreatitis at Ottawa Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. Hnatyshyn had also been treated for a cancerous tumour on his bile duct.

Tributes poured in Thursday for the Saskatchewan native who prided himself on being an "average Canadian." He served as the Queen's representative in Canada from 1990 to 1995. The lawyer from Saskatchewan first made his mark in Ottawa as a Tory MP.

His family released a statement saying they wished "to thank the many Canadians who have offered their prayers and expressed their best wishes through letters and phone calls since Mr. Hnatyshyn's illness was first announced in mid-September."

When it was announced he was to become Canada's 24th governor general in 1989, Hnatyshyn, the grandson of illiterate immigrants from the Ukraine, said he couldn't think of a greater honour to be given to an "average Canadian."

"It was a complete surprise," his mother Helen said at the time. "We never thought it would come true."

During his tenure at Rideau Hall, Hnatyshyn reopened the grounds to the public because he wanted more people to be allowed to view the grandeur of the gardens and residence.

He also established the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.

Colleagues from all political stripes unfailingly used terms such as intelligent, affable, generous and good-humoured to describe him.

"Journalists or politicians, ... he has friends on both sides of the aisle because of his refusal to ever become self-important," CTV's Mike Duffy said.

Hnatyshyn was educated at the University of Saskatchewan -- where he later lectured for 10 years -- and was called to the bar in 1957. He practised law in the family firm before going into politics.

Hnatyshyn was first elected to the House of Commons in 1974 and held a number of ministerial portfolios under Progressive Conservative governments, including attorney general and justice.

His political career began long before he was voted into Parliament. At the age of six, Hnatyshyn accompanied his father John, a senator, to a political convention in Ottawa. Later, he sat and listened when former prime minister John Diefenbaker and the elder Hnatyshyn would hold long political discussions in the family home.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien said it had been "a great honour" to serve with Hnatyshyn in Parliament.

"He will be remembered by all for his warmth, his devotion to his country and the work he did on behalf of all Canadians," Chretien said. "He touched the hearts of all and will be sorely missed."

Former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow said Hnatyshyn had set the bar for how politicians should conduct themselves.

"If I had to point to any one person as an example of the kind of politician should model himself or herself after it would be Ray," he said.

"He always carried a tremendous sense of humour which always put a perspective on debate and was civil and decent and I think that's a tribute to the way public life should be conducted at all times."

Tory Leader Joe Clark, who first appointed Hnatyshyn to cabinet, said there was a sense of fairness about Hnatyshyn, while NDP Leader Alexa McDonough hailed the former governor general's legacy of contribution to the development of Canadian arts, as did Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson.

Former Tory prime minister Brian Mulroney, who also appointed Hnatyshyn to cabinet, remembered him as a "happy warrior."

"An accomplished man with a delightful sense of humour, Ray practised partisan politics with neither malice nor meanness," Mulroney said in a statement. "He was always considerate of friends and respectful of political opponents."

When he quit politics in 1995, Hnatyshyn returned to his roots, practising law as a senior partner with the prestigious Ottawa firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson.

In April, he was named chancellor of Carleton University. He was expected to formally assume the post November 10.

Hnatyshyn is survived by wife Gerda Andreasen and sons John and Carl.

With reports from CTV's Mike Duffy and The Canadian Press