Le Journal de Montréal leads with the funeral of Nick Rizzuto Jr. - son of reputed Montreal Mob boss Vito Rizzuto - who was gunned down last Monday. As to political losers, the paper's first edition of the new year follows with a two-page spread on its top 10 of 2009.
Not surprisingly, Gilles Taillon - who screwed up royally in his comeback bid to lead the ADQ - is tied for first place with disgraced Montréal municipal politician Michel Labonté. Coming right behind the two we find:
" Michael Ignatieff - worse than Stéphane Dion
Michael Ignatieff presented himself as the saviour of the Liberal Party at the beginning of 2009.
The rest of the year consisted of a long string of indecision that quickly sapped whatever credibility the former Harvard professor had in Québec.
No one really knows what his program is. He's wishy-washy on a bunch of issues. He says one thing and then the opposite a few weeks later. This kind of hedging is never well viewed in politics, particularly in Québec. We prefer Jean Chrétien, who's rude but at least frank, to someone like Michael Ignatieff, who's distinguished but calculating.
That said, in the Coderre matter, he made a huge error in calculation.
Think about it: If an election were held today, Ignatieff's Liberals would likely end up with fewer votes than under Stéphane Dion. That's all you need to know."
Well, maybe not all; in fifth place on Le Journal's list of 2009 losers, one finds none other than:
"Stephen Harper - a product that's not catching on in Québec
At the federal level, the Conservative prime minister had a pretty good year. His principal opponent, Michael Ignatieff, has fallen so far that one could almost forget that Stephen Harper is leading a minority government.
But the situation is less rosy in Québec: the Conservatives seem unable to get any respect.
They're not catching on. Despite a significant rise in the polls late in the year, Stephen Harper hit bottom in 2009 with only 11 per cent support.
And let's just say that his extreme pro-Alberta position in Copenhagen didn't do anything to improve things.
The Québécois don't agree on much other than the need to stop global warming. However, it seems that Stephen Harper, eager to protect the oil sands, wants to do exactly the opposite."
Continuing on, we come to eighth place on the list and read:
"Jean Charest - both feet on the brakes:
He began the year with his hands on the steering wheel [i.e., after winning a majority government]and ended it with both feet on the brakes.
His refusal to call a public inquiry into the construction industry, following all the scandals and allegations, cost him dearly. The Québécois are now convinced that he, too, has something to hide.
He tried his best to climb back in public opinion by positioning himself against Stephen Harper on the environment, but he's been badly damaged in the eyes of voters and hasn't profited from the ADQ falling apart."
As to Le Journal's coverage of the Rizzuto funeral, I particularly liked this passage, which may sound familiar to those who follow Canadian politics:
"Two reporters, including yours truly, and a few other "unrecognized persons" were shown the door by representatives of the family, who were on the look out for "intruders."
"Who are you? You're a reporter? Get out of here, scumbag, and don't come back. Show some respect," one of those responsible for security said, asking two of his colleagues to forcibly eject me."