Maclean's magazine has responded to Quebec Premier Jean Charest's demand for a public apology over an article that dubbed the province the most corrupt in Canada.
Charest was reacting to two articles published in the latest issue of Maclean's written by Martin Patriquin and Andrew Coyne.
Patriquin's article is a historic look at Quebec's political patronage-driven scandals, and includes a quote from one of Charest's own MNAs admitting that recent scandals like the ongoing Bastarache Commission do not paint the current Liberal government in a good light.
"I'm not saying everything's perfect, [or] everything's lily white," Liberal MNA Geoff Kelley is quoted as saying in Patriquin's article. "Obviously these things raise concerns, they raise doubts, and I think mechanisms have been put in place to try and tighten up the rules."
In a letter addressed to Maclean's editor Mark Stevenson, Charest asks that the he be able to "recognize your error and apologize to Quebecers."
"Far from serious journalism, which is supported by facts and evidence, your article tries to demonstrate a simplistic and offensive thesis that Quebecers are genetically incapable of acting with integrity," Charest writes. "Drawing on recent debates, you have concocted an assortment of dubious conclusions, unproven allegations, and isolated events, in which you confuse Premier Duplessis, public service unions, the Quiet Revolution, state intervention, our Catholic roots, and above all the sovereignist movement.
"With this twisted form of journalism and ignorance, any society would be painted in a poor light."
Maclean's responds
In an editorial entitled "We believe Quebecers deserve better, and they seem to agree," posted to their website Wednesday afternoon, the editors stood by the article, citing the sponsorship scandal, price-fixing in public works contracts, and allegations of Mob ties to the Tremblay administration.
"It's true that we lack a statistical database to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Quebec is an outlier among the provinces. But that does not mean we are required to suspend all judgment in the face of a preponderance of evidence—scandal after scandal at every level of government in the province, all of them involving not just one or two bad actors but systemic corruption," the editorial stated.
The article went on to state that the problem is a political one, and a reflection of the character of the province's politicians, not Quebec or its people.
"It is bad enough that the people of Quebec have to put up with corruption in public office—they shouldn't be smeared by it as well," it read, adding that voters have little patience for scandal and regularly toss out corrupt politicians.
"If Quebec's people and its press continue to expect the highest standards of ethics and probity from public officials, change will come. We sincerely believe Quebecers deserve better."
Charest defends Quebec
Charest refers to Quebec's Catholic roots, a reaction to something found in Coyne's piece examining the reasons behind the province's history of political scandal.
"What explains Quebec's unusual susceptibility to money politics?" Coyne writes. "Deeply entrenched deference to authority? A worldly Catholic tolerance of official vice? There is no grand unified theory: at different times and in different situations, different forces have come into play."
Charest defends the role the Quebec government plays in its economy, which was one possible reason for the environment of corruption in the province listed by Patriquin when he writes, "There are some who posit that government corruption is inevitable in part because government is so omnipresent in the province's economic life."
Charest, however, says the reason Quebec has exceeded economic performance in the rest of the country stems from the government's involvement.
"The Quebec you chose not to mention happens to be the first place in North America to have regained all the jobs lost during the economic crisis," Charest writes.
Journalist says Quebec political reaction is unique
Patriquin appeared on CTV Montreal News on Tuesday to talk about his article and the political reaction it has caused.
"I think for politicians, the knee-jerk reaction to say it's Quebec-bashing wherever there is any criticism of Quebec is very, very particular to this province," Patriquin told CTV Montreal's Todd van der Heyden during the interview. "We have done this with British Columbia. We have done this with Saskatchewan and Regina, and while it is close to home and it hits and it hurts, there is never any suggestion that we're anti-British Columbian or whatever the word would be. So it's that aspect of it, that aspect of the criticism has been particular to Quebec."
Maclean's was targeted by representatives of the Carnaval de Quebec, who criticized the magazine's use of the Bonhomme Carnaval on its cover holding a suitcase overflowing with cash.
Since the publication, Maclean's has issued a clarification below the online version of the article stating why it chose to use the mascot on the cover.
"While Maclean's recognizes that Bonhomme is a symbol of the Carnaval, the character is also more widely recognized as a symbol of the province of Quebec," the disclaimer states. "We used Bonhomme as a means of illustrating a story about the province's political culture, and did not intend to disparage the Carnaval in any way. Maclean's is a great supporter of both the Carnaval and of Quebec tourism. Our coverage of political issues in the province will do nothing to diminish that support."
