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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 19:38:14 GMT
That's two mayors in a row that got canned for their mafia connections. Will this problem finally be fixed? Corruption in Montréal |
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Post by mich64 on Jun 19, 2013 20:59:00 GMT
No, I would say this is just the beginning and not for just Montreal but for many cities, big and small across Canada.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2013 23:18:27 GMT
It's quite strange for us non Canadians, because when we think "Canada" or "Québec" the mafia is not the first thing that comes to mind.
However, I admit that I have seen a certain number of Canadian movies that seem to make allusions to a problem of organised crime.
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Post by lagatta on Jun 20, 2013 0:39:00 GMT
Not just Mafia, a general problem of corruption and collusion. Until fairly recently, "English Canada" (I'm referring to the dominant language, not the ethnic origin, as we come from everywhere) saw Québec as a sort of frigid New Orleans, all music, art, culture, food and fun, but corrupt as all hell. But the stuff going on in Toronto is utterly weird.
In Québec, the mayor of a very large suburb of Montréal, Laval (300,000 people, if I recall) was arrested and accused of "gangsterism", as were the mayors of a couple of smaller and more outer suburbs. Now the interim mayor of Montréal (after the longterm mayor had to step down). And in Toronto, the saga of the Ford Brothers is like a John Belushi movie...)
Organised crime exists everywhere, but the question is the degree of influence or control (mainmise) over the elected representatives.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 0:58:01 GMT
We have tons of corruption in France and all sorts of politicians have lost their jobs because of it (while others are still getting away with it), but I think it is the whole idea of "Mafia" that shocks me. While it is a major element in the lives of Corsicans and Sicilians here, in most of the rest of Europe, there is not really an idea of giving contracts to corrupt firms or paying 'protection money' to anybody.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jun 20, 2013 1:09:52 GMT
Yes- I could never have thought of mafia and Canada in the same sentence.
As the entire world knows, corruption is huge problem here. Much of it is unreported or not chased but some activity is punished. Investigations and court proceedings are slow so it takes time for convictions but they do occur.
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Post by mich64 on Jun 20, 2013 15:05:26 GMT
There are Taxpayer Associations being started by citizens all over Canada that are monitoring municipal spending and newspapers printing any findings or allegations made by them in the name of corruption.
The President of our Association frequently posts on-line comments in our local newspaper on almost everything that is reported, so much so that you can now see his intentions are politically motivated. It would be different if he had been nominated by the Association to run for election but that is not the case, he seems to have nominated himself and uses the association and newspaper for personal gain, which he is supposed to be against. I do not think he even sees what he is doing.
The Toronto Mayor situation is very concerning. It does not seem right that a reputable newspaper is reporting accusations and video evidence that can not be validated. I no longer believe that newspaper to be reputable, in fact I believe it to be corrupted. That is not to say there may or may not be a serious issue with this Mayor but allegations should have to have proof.
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Post by bjd on Jun 20, 2013 15:29:29 GMT
1) Back years ago when I lived in Canada, there was already talk about mafia dealings in the construction industry.
2) The book Gomorrah lists the names of stores in Woodbridge, Ontario (high Italian population) that is run by the Camorra.
3) As for France, just last Friday I was given the names of 3 restaurants in Toulouse that were burned down in the past year because the owners hadn't paid protection money.
4) Canada is also known in the financial industry as a centre for money laundering.
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