Everyone should just take a deep breath.
Sure the cover of Maclean's was controversial.
But it got people talking and more importantly for Maclean's, it sold magazines
Here's the thing, there is corruption in Quebec. Absolutely. There is corruption everywhere. I wonder if maybe because we are so bad at it that we get caught more often than people in other provinces
Is it really worse here than other places? It may be, for a number of reasons.
I really don't quite buy into the Maclean's theory that it's connected to the separation issue.
Maclean's is a magazine that loves lists; best universities, best towns to live in, best places to buy pizza.
So if we are number one, who is number two? Who is number three? Come on, let's get the rankings right Maclean's! I would like to see their empirical evidence that concludes we are the most corrupt.
There are still many places in this country where you won't get your road paved if you don't elect a member of the government side.
Real issue is over-reaction
The real issue here is the reaction over the article. I should say the over-reaction.
Once again Quebec politicians and others closed ranks. It was almost tribal.
Gilles Duceppe called the Maclean's article xenophobic, others called it Quebec bashing, and Jean Charest wants an apology.
Because for many it is seen as an attack against Quebec, and by extension an attack against French-Canadians.
If Quebec is indeed a dynamic and mature society, why do our leaders have to overact? Talk about thin skin. Is Bonhomme Carnaval such a sacred cow that no one can make fun of him? He's a mascot, for goodness sake. Can't the oversensitive political class just calm down?
If anyone took the time to actually read the article they will find it makes some compelling arguments: from Duplessis, to the Cliche Commission, to Gomery, to water meters to shady practices in construction to Bastarache.
Quebec should be given credit for wanting to get to the truth with its inquiries, but perhaps we should also look in the mirror and be grown up enough to take it.
Best of luck to John Grant
And finally on a family matter, our Quebec City bureau chief John Grant retired this week.
John covered the National Assembly for years. I can tell you it's a pretty challenging job.
John was able to drill down through the spin and everything else and bring us the news that matters to our community. And his down-home, folksy style will be missed. He always knew how to tell the story.
John has a profound understanding of Quebec and its politics. Not bad for a kid from Saskatchewan.
Good Luck John
