Quebec Finally Starts Crackdown on Corruption....er.... Sort of!

It is with a sense of relief that Quebeckers greeted the news that police have finally made some arrests in the ongoing corruption scandal that is rocking the province.

Finally, finally, some action!

In an announcement worthy of a multi-million dollar cocaine bust, the Montreal police proudly announced that they had busted six doormen at the storied Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, for forcing cabbies to kick back a couple of bucks for every lucrative airport fare.  LINK

JUSTICE IS DONE !!!!

At least it's a nifty diversion from the scandalous tales of political corruption and the avalanche of organized crime stories washing across Quebec like the the Red Sea over Pharaoh's chariots.

Corruption and its impact on Quebec society has become  all-embracing and all-encompassing.

Jacques Duchesneau

This was sadly highlighted by the presentation this week, of a rogues gallery of political miscreants, published on the front page of the Journal de Montreal that even included the hitherto Mr. Clean, crime fighter Jacques Duchesneau, who was ironically hired to clean up the corruption mess and now stands accused of fudging the paperwork in relation to his mayoral campaign, twelve years ago. LINK 


In the face of all this corruption, it's hard to believe that many Quebeckers remain firmly planted in a rose-coloured fantasy world where all is not as bad as it seems.
A recent poll indicates that while 75% believe that Quebec is a corrupt place, only 22% believe the province is worse than the others and amazingly 6% believe that the other provinces are even more corrupt than Quebec! LINK 

This type of self-delusion is nothing new. We see it every day, where facts and figures are manipulated  and re-interpreted by nationalists to portray Quebec as what it is not.

It's been going on for decades, the only prerequisite, a public willing to accept any nonsense argument that satisfies a foregone conclusion.
So strong is the manipulation that there remains a goodly number of Quebeckers who firmly believe that Quebec is a net payer into Canada.  Truly....

But to those without their head in the sand, the unbelievable spectacle playing out before us, is a painful and eye-opening experience that can best be compared to a daily trip to the dentist.

Not only do we face a daily barrage of political corruption accusations, each morning we wake up to the news of yet another Montreal restaurant being firebombed overnight.
It's not even restricted to Montreal!
Pizza shops in the small town of Chambly are being blown up rather regularly, the concept of fierce competition taking on new meaning in modern Quebec. No two-for-one coupons here!

Throw in regular dose of unexplained Mafia murders and kidnappings and it's not surprising that Quebeckers are incredulous as to what is happening to their society as the clueless police offer shrugged shoulders and vacuous stares, in response. 

As the latest arson attack hits the ritzy Montreal neighbourhood of Westmount, we must sadly conclude nowhere is safe and that the entire province is engulfed in a sea of organized, disorganized and political crime that is beyond the ability of the forces of order to control.

Each Sunday night, when I sit down and watch HBO's Boardwalk Empire, the story of corrupt Atlantic city in the 1920's, I actually find myself asking if we are not actually in much worse shape.
At any rate, 'Nucky' and crew would fit right in, here in Montreal. We even have our very own sharpshooter hit man, just like the show!

It's been about  a year since all these revelations first came out and the promise by the government that we'd be better off leaving the cleanup to the police, is ringing false. Unfortunately, the only arrests made, have been the comical doormen at the Queen 'E.'
Quebeckers are fed up.

What big anti-crime measures has the government come up with to fight this corruption?

Let's see..er........ nothing!

No wait, I'm wrong!

The government has come up with a bold attack to bring into compliance those perfidious tax-evading  restaurateurs, who are robbing the government blind by accepting cash payments for your morning  nosh.
And so, from the biggest restaurant chain to the smallest coffee stand on the corner, cash registers connected to the government have been made mandatory. Any clerk who forgets to hand a bill to the client, even for a doughnut, subjects his owner to a $400 dollar fine.
The inspectors are already out in force and already a local Tim Horton's holds the dubious honour of being the first one pinched and fined for serving a Double/Double without the appropriate paperwork.

WELL-DONE! It's been what we've been waiting for. A real crackdown on corruption!

The next target.....

Mafia Bosses?

Construction kingpins?

Crooked Mayors?

Cheating civil servants?

Nope........ probably hairdressers and paperboys.

.....or maybe a Royal Commission into hotel doormen.

Tomorrow-  Has the public rage gone to far?