The column was a  sloppy opinion piece. The 'research' consists of quoting raw stats that everyone in Quebec is familiar with -- the so-called volunteer rate. Then, he ties volunteering to a false police headcount on one night of one snowstorm. Also, he makes no reference to the 400-year-old society that modern Quebec inherited- its institutions and culture; the culture of France, where it comes from, etc. etc.  His "stat" about the two-bill restaurant culture is a tourist anecdote, and I've never seen it (after 30 years of living in Quebec); probably 90% of all Quebec eateries wouldn't know what he's talking about, as 90% of Quebec eaters will tell you. As for the 'underground'  economy,  it is officially denounced in the platforms of every major  Que. political party, and denounced at election time, so they didn't need Potter to remind them. Finally, go to any province in Canada and try to find a home renovator who does not offer a 'cash' price vs a 'real' price.