General

Paging Dr. Freud

Are provincial cabinet ministers in Quebec trying to tell us something?

Transportation Minister Julie Boulet, February 2010: “There are rules that govern the funding of political parties. It’s legal in Quebec to engage in political financing, for companies to donate.”

Education Minister Michelle Courchesne, December 2009: “The majority of private enterprises donate to all the political parties.”

Minister for Transport Norman MacMillan, December 2009: “There’s a law that governs all this. We can’t prevent company X from donating $3,000 to the Liberal party.” MacMillan then added government ministers are expected to raise $100,000 a year for the party.

Aside from the fact they were all made by Quebec Liberals, the statements have something else in common: they’re all patently wrong. Quebec hasn’t allowed corporate donations since 1977 and the repeated slip-ups have now caught the attention of province’s chief electoral officer, not to mention that of Pauline Marois.

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