QUEBEC CORRUPTION SCANDAL CONTINUES

A year or so ago a well known magazine published an opinion that the province of Quebec was the most corrupt Provincein Canada. Predictably this did not go over too well in Quebec. At this point in time however most of us hope that that is true because if they aren't the most corrupt; then God help whatever province is worse. The Jean Charest Liberal government appointed an Inquiry to look into construction industry corruption in Quebec and they seem to be receiving testimony implacating politicians. Last Thursday's Waterloo Region Record has a story titled "Police raid Laval mayor's office, home". Laval is the third largest municiplity in Quebec so clearly the pot is boiling and bigger fish are being scrutinized. Allegations at the Inquiry have included price rigging and payoffs to corrupt bureaucrats, politicians and even the Italian Mafia.

All of this leads me to wonder about Waterloo Region. Are we more honest, more careful and or more subtle? That corruptiuon exists in Waterloo Region is a certainty. What I am not aware of is organized crime or corruption of the brown paper bag variety such as videos in Quebec have shown, or even of the Brian Mulroney /Karl Heinz Schreiber variety. Here the corruption I am aware of consists of government and political deception of the public. It consists of misrepresnting facts for self serving political ends. Sometimes a little bit of graft can be of less social consequence than a whole lot of political deception. Neither are acceptable and need to be rooted out.