So it turns out that maybe there’s something to the corruption-is-everywhere-in-Quebec idea.
The provincial police made 14 high-profile arrests last week that included construction magnate Tony Accurso and a prominent Liberal fundraiser. Now it turns out that Robert Lafreniere, head of the provincial anti-corruption squad, has 17 more investigations underway.
Hmm, remember when Maclean’s magazine got all that guff for daring to call Quebec “the most corrupt province” in Canada? Remember how outraged we all were? Remember when the House of Commons passed a resolution demanding that Maclean’s apologize to the people of Quebec for what, in Thomas Mulcair’s words, was a “deliberate attack on Quebec”?
Even the magazine’s parent company threw them under the bus, with the president of Rogers Publishing Brian Segal saying, “On behalf of the company, we sincerely regret any offence that the cover may have caused.” Ever the capitalist, he added, “Quebec is an important market for the company and we look forward to participating in the dynamic growth of the province and its citizens.”
Of course, there’s nothing uniquely corrupt about Quebec people, just their politicians and bureaucracy which are hopelessly intertwined with shady characters in the construction industry, in biker gangs and in the mafia, among others.
Still, it doesn’t seem like this story is going away. Like a stinky onion, there’s always more layers to peel back in Quebec’s years-long corruption saga, and apparently the recent arrests have prompted many more to come forward with knowledge of other wrongdoing. Let’s just hope everyone makes it out of this scandal with their kneecaps intact.