Martin Patriquin writes that there are stark parallels between the Adscam scandal of the 1990's and the SNC-Lavalin scandal of today:
A quick refresher: In 1995, utterly spooked by Quebec's near-exit from the federation, the Liberal government of the day devised a plan to essentially sell Quebecers on Canada's many merits and delights. In theory, this branding exercise would make the Maple Leaf ubiquitous at sporting events, hunting shows and on Quebec's formidable festival circuit. In practice, this exercise was entrusted to Liberal-connected ad firms in the province, which billed inflationary amounts for work often not done.
The ensuing scandal, also birthed by the Globe and Mail, had a feedback loop effect. English Canada resented the Liberal Party's rank Quebec favouritism, which Quebecers themselves resented for the graft and corruption done in their name. The Liberals were relegated to near-rump status in Quebec in the following years, and it took nearly a decade for the party to recover from the cacophony of outrage and arrests. Lavscam has many similar ingredients: ample finger wagging from English Canada and a Liberal government willing to break the rules for an allegedly corrupt Quebec-based business.
But, in Quebec, the outrage felt in the rest of the country hasn't taken hold. Why?
Simple: as a large, home-grown entity, SNC-Lavalin is less a company than corporate god. Like Couche-Tard, GardaWorld, Bombardier and CGI Group, to name a few, SNC is a symbol of Quebec success and might on the world stage.
When one of these corporate gods is sold off — like, say, when an U.S.-based Lowes bought Quebec-based Rona in 2016 for an absurd amount of money — the reaction is less joyous than wake-like. "What will be the next Quebec crown jewel to be sold off?" wondered one columnist in a familiar fit of pique.
Being a Quebec corporate god holds a lot of water and hides a lot of sin. Even before the Globe and Mail revelations, the Quebec government included the company on a list of 10 "strategic" firms that would be protected from foreign takeovers.
In the wake of the Globe's revelations, when SNC-Lavalin's decampment to foreign shores became a very real possibility, the company's myriad alleged overindulgences at the behest of Muammar Gaddafi's homicidal regime became an afterthought. Far more important, as Quebec Premier François Legault put it last February, was to "settle" SNC's inconvenient legal situation and "protect the headquarters and the thousands of good, well-paying jobs we have at SNC-Lavalin."
In attempting to do exactly this, Trudeau endeared himself to Quebec's political and media classes — and, apparently, to most Quebecers themselves.
Quebecers will tell you that la belle province is "pas comme les autres." And they will have a large say in who becomes the next prime minister.
Image: amazon.ca
8 comments:
.. I helped launch The Weather Network.. a Lavalin cash cow.. as it received part of the basic cable pie. Of course back then it was an ambitious entry into cable television - English and French.. (Meteo Media) I dunno, maybe there were 15 or so channels.. But we did interesting promotions.. most of which I shot and/or edited with my late great friend Richard, often while on the road and delivered via satellite dish equipped TV station across Canada or home base on Rene Levesque Blvd in Montreal. we were brash and fun, ambitious, creative. Our pay cheques or freelance contracts in my case were rock solid via Lavalin.. and I commuted from Toronto for the work.. great times in La Belle Province.. lotsa fab memories and I worked in Ottawa and Hull.
Banff, Alberta and British Columbia will always have the most special status for me.. but Montreal was a treasure, refreshing, surprising.. and of course Quebec City charmed me beyond belief.. steeped in history, Wolfe & Montacalm on The Plains Of Abraham, crazy with culture and vibrance, history, Bonhomme Carnival as a young lad, Chateau Frontenac.. and its stunning tobaggan run, the funiculaire to Lower Town
We are fortunate to have French journos who can speak to defend and reflect, share the unique & distinct culture of Quebec.. or stand against nonsensical political discrimination. There is mucho conundrum in play.. and the current Lavalin fiasco should not be a political football, its a legal thing. More Canadians should take the train to Montreal and disembark in the basement areas of The Queen Elizabeth Hotel, stroll past the great cathedrals, hit Rue St Catherines at 10 PM, climb the mountain.. and at some point retrain to Quebec City etc etc. Partisan politics is rancid.. should have nothing to do with such experiences.. nobody is better dressed than the Quebecois.. yet so vibrantly casual and joi de vivre is on full parade
It becomes tiresome for me to explain or defend our various provinces.. Hint.. its not the fault of the province or the territories !! Full stop .. Go experience the sunrise behind you on approaching Winnipeg after traversing just part of Ontario west and north and all over Lake Superior for 24 hours. Get some kicks in a tent at Thanksgiving in The Valley Of The Ten Peaks after making it over Sentinal Pass. Discover Tofino & have clam chowder to die for.. do fiddlehead greens with scallops from a roadside stand near Peggy's Cove.. get your Canadian on in Newfoundland.. howl at the moon somewhere anywhere.. We have something to share, its pretty damn special.. it don't get any better, nothing comes close in fact. If you seek pirate treasure.. go find it, its everywhere in Canada. Fer gawds sake don't get dragged down by partisan political animals.. look after your country, your environment, the habitat, our beautiful creatures.. and Go Vote !! Give someone a ride, mebbe an elder.. or just walk through your neighborhood to the polling station.. !!
These days, sal, rather than celebrating our differences, we're letting them get in the way.
ah, yes it will. Out in B.C. one blog has an article up about Trudeau giving English Canada the finger by only participating in one debate, when the French debates are graced by him twice. (Harvey Obverfeld--a well respected, retired journalist who B.C. and Ottawa for decades--Keeping it Real.
the Quebec attitude towards their corporations and willingness to keep them Quebec/Canadian is an admirable trait. If more Canadians felt that way, we might not be so mired in foreign entities owning so much of Canada. We'd at least be able to read the signs on stores in Richmond, B.C., which many only display in Mandarin. No English. No Cantonese, Just Mandarin. I'm good with two languages one of them being French or English, but when its one language only, and not one of our official languages, its a tad insulting. Then the protests by pro communist Chinese government protesting pro democracy people. The Pro Communist Government of China's supporters even formed a ring around a Church in Vancouver where people were having a prayer meeting to support democracy in Hong Kong. In some areas Quebec does go over board, but it is protecting their culture, our country. Yes, SNC Lavalin is/was a mess, but lets not forget Mulroney and his antics. Harper's antics were a tad different, but just as offensive or do we forget his spending less on Indigenous children than other children when it came to health care and education, taking money out of the RCMP child porn budget for other "more important matters" and then the lack of services to Veterans which resulted in more dying from suicide than the war. Lets NOT FORGET SCHEER WAS PART OF THE HARPER GOVERNMETN. DO WE REALLY WANT A RE DO. The liberals may have their scandal, but they also have the child cheques which go out each month and those won't be there if Scheer takes over. with his line of he'll reduce taxes, right and what is he going to reduce in the way of services to Canadians.
Some in B.C. like to think its important but really, the Quebec voters make a big, big difference, which we in B.C. will never do.
I really have no idea how all of this will work out, e.a.f. But we seem to be losing patience with each other.
.. haha.. I have endless, no bottomless patience with Canadians Owen.. but nobody ever will see the bottom of this farm boy's silo.. cuz I'm takin it with me.. At the same time I aint sayin I won't have certain political animals at the very bottom, when I go.. that I pinned there with a concrete nail gun or a concrete block or ten. Mess with Canada eh.. it can be pricy to yer health.. but what the hey.. I always say... Go big or don't go.. and Canada damn big.. with a mighty appetite for gobbling up scumbags.. and I handy to lend a hand
Silos serve a purpose, sal. But they need to be thoroughly washed clean every so often. Otherwise, the stench becomes unbearable.
I liked that first comment a lot, Sal. Yeah, quite a bit. It hit home.
I'm a Canadian and proud of it, been in every province. She's one hell of a big place - in England when I studied there, I called it the Big Land, and never missed a chance to clear up rampant colonial misperceptions. I was near enough a brand ambassador, a later-invented name. Other Canadians in London seemed to hide their backgrounds, but not me. What did I have to hide? Not a darn thing compared to humdrum life in Blighty which was presented as the peak of civilization. As if.
On the ground here, everyone you meet seems pleasant, acts pleasant, is pleasant all across this Big Land. Politics be damned, that's what drives artificial wedges between us and starts to dissolves the camaraderie we should always fight hard to sustain. Politicians work up nonsense to divide us and make us vote for them; business seems bereft of social consciousness these days, but so much of Canadian business is foreign-owned extracting money for a few lousy jobs and don't give a sh!t about us anyway, that we seem to lack the sense of cohesiveness I felt when I was younger and it seemingly gets worse with the passage of time.
BM
We're a big country with a small population, BM. We've known from the beginning that, to make it work -- despite our differences -- we have to work together. Those who seek to divide us to so for personal gain. And,throughout our history, we've managed to see these people for who they are.
Post a Comment