Mafia reach includes political parties, construction industry (2)

OTTAWA — Quebec is like a cow that has been milked too hard for too long, and it is now getting ready to give the farmer a kick in the head.

For decades, the Mafia and their friends have been pulling at the teats, taking the cream from rigged government contracts while politicians look the other way and the highways crumble.

But Quebecers have had enough, and the government of Jean Charest is being forced to take on the five-per-cent men who dip their beaks in every tarpot in the province.

The public has taken notice because of the work of Quebec journalists, who have aggressively exposed corruption, putting withering pressure on see-no-evil politicians.

Andre Noel and Andre Cedilot have been covering Montreal’s Mafia since the early 1990s. Last year, they published Mafia Inc., The Long Bloody Reign of Canada’s Sicilian Clan. Now, Michael Gilson’s elegant English translation is on the shelves.

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See Also:

Quebec bill bolsters powers of construction watchdog

Afternoon Updates:

1:43 pm EDT, October 27th, 2011 – Quebec minister, union boss go toe-to-toe on TV