Quebec’s deputy premier, Nathalie Normandeau, strode to a news conference clutching the latest copy of Maclean’s….

 ”Maclean’s should apologize to all the people of Quebec. . . Maclean’s is attacking our institutions, our history, our symbols. Today, Maclean’s deliberately decided to attack the whole of Quebec, of who we are as a society.”

— CTV News, Sept. 24, 2010

Former construction boss Lino Zambito says he organized a lucrative fundraising dinner in 2008 featuring then-deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau, which he says raised $110,000, and that he funnelled donations through third parties to keep the contributions within the legal limit which was then $3,000.

 He says he suggested his plans to a prominent Liberal bagman.

 ”I said: ‘I want to invite about 20, 25 people and raise $100,000.’ (The organizer) told me, ‘Don’t forget — the law doesn’t allow a donation of more than $3,000 per person,’” Zambito said.

 ”I said, ‘That’s fine.’”

— Canadian Press, tonight

 UPDATE: Normandeau responds (to Zambito, not to me). She was a straight shooter, she sometimes showed up at fundraisers, whaddya whaddya.