Tell me it ain't so!

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read this article. Canadian Politicians are thought to be corrupt? What has our country come to? How could this possibly happen here in the greatest country in the world, the land of we are just way too nice? Someone must have gotten their stats mixed up. This just can't be true. Tell me it ain't so! (click!)

Globe and Mail:

An international group that tracks global graft says Canadians believe political parties are the most corrupt institution in the country.
The dubious distinction was awarded to Canada by Transparency International. The Berlin-based group made the determination in its latest global corruption barometer.
On a scale of one to five, where one indicates “not corrupt” and five indicates “extremely corrupt,” Canada's political parties scored a 3.9 — same as the U.S. Israel received a 4.5.
When it came to the impact of corruption on political life, Canada scored a 3.3, as opposed to 3.2 in the U.S.
Asked whether they expected the level of corruption to change over the next three years, 38 per cent said they believed it would increase, while 17 per cent said they thought it would decrease.

The 38% must represent the liberal voter that fully expect Martin and the gang to win the upcoming election.