Pure As The Fresh-Driven Snow

"When Madame Marois accuses the Liberals of having quotas, well, there were quotas at the PQ as well. [When people didn't meet their quotas, the party would] try to shame them."
CAQ Leader Francois Legault former PQ cabinet minister

"I'm particularly surprised, to say the least, by the false attitude of virginity, if I could say so, of the PQ on these matters. Given the Moisan report, given other elements that are now of public knowledge, they should maybe take these questions with more humility." (alluding to a 2006 report by retired Quebec Superior Court Justice Jean Moisan finding the PQ had turned a blind eye to law violations on political parties' financing from 1995 to 2000.)
Philippe Couillard, Quebec Liberal leader

 

Coalition Avenir Québec Leader François Legault, Parti Québecois Leader Pauline Marois, Quebec Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard and Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Françoise David (left to right, top to bottom). (The Canadian Press) 

 

The Parti Quebecois proudly presents itself as the paradigm of political virtue, what all political parties should aspire to, in forwarding an agenda in defence of the public weal. Political integrity personifies the Parti Quebecois's agenda, motivation and desires. Vote for the Parti Quebecois and one votes for the future of the province; forward-looking, prosperous, a beacon of equality and proudly aspirational French culture, a showcase to the world.

And then, whoops! Something has obviously gone awry and it cannot be related to the activities of the Parti Quebecois; clearly Quebec's anti-corruption police are horribly confused and have gone off on a totally wrong tack, attempting to track PQ finances. The integrity of the PQ being beyond dispute, what can have driven police to look into past Parti Quebecois fundraising practices? Clearly, they've been listening to slanderous accusations by the PQ's political competitors.

It was just a courtesy visit to PQ headquarters by investigators with the province's anti-corruption police squad last month, nothing more. Trust the political adversaries of the PQ's governing style to snoop about and overturn rocks to find their hoped-for slimy accusations of wrong-doing. The investigators were merely curious about how the party looked after its fundraising. Possibly to laud it as an example for other parties to follow.

Most notably, the Liberal party whose popularity leading to the April 7 provincial election has irritatingly experienced an upward spiral of late in voters' opinions. Too much talk of separation and too little talk about the economy and employment. If one wants to examine real wrong-doing, then look at the search warrant at provincial Liberal headquarters last year linked to an investigation into political funding, said Madame Marois.

"The Liberal party was searched following a warrant issued by a judge. We are not talking about the same thing with the Parti Quebecois", she assured. Yet according to La Presse "police actions" aimed at the PQ were imminent, but temporarily held off so the police would not be seen as interfering in the democratic process. And while the PQ claimed the police 'visit' represented a mere tour by investigators of all provincial parties, neither the Coalition Avenir Quebec nor Action democratique du Quebec were 'visited'.

The man accused of raising more than $400,000 for the Liberal party and then somehow hiding it denies he ever did such a thing, responding to the PQ's complaint filed with Elections Quebec that $428,000 was raised in the past decade, and never declared. The individual charged with raising those funds, Marc Bibeaub, scoffed that any single fundraising event could gather in such an amount.

"On the contrary, this amount probably represents the cumulative effect of multiple personal donations given to the Liberal Party over a period of several months, all of which were individually accounted for, and as such, were made in accordance with the law."

The PQ is charging through new election ads that the Liberals would poke its fingers into the Charbonneau commission on corruption. That just happens to be the commission that has heard testimony implicating Pauline Marois's wealthy businessman husband in allegations of corruption, charges that she has denied, claiming that overtures made to her were swiftly dismissed out of hand; she is incorruptible. Yet her husband represents the very picture of a Quebec-style oligarch.

When the question was put to Premier Marois about a 2006 report by retired judge Jean Moisan to the effect that the PQ had benefited from $100,000 in illegal donations between 1994 and 2000, Ms. Marois shrugged it off as irrelevant; any irregularities were dealt with. "They were isolated incidents, and never will I accept that someone claims there was a system in the Parti Quebecois."

Which was when now CAQ leader Francois Legault had his say, explaining that when he was a PQ cabinet minister intense pressure was exerted to meet fundraising targets. As high as $80,000 annually, in his case.