QUEBEC CITY - The author of a devastating report on corruption in Quebec will have a busy few days meeting with public officials to elaborate on findings that have created shockwaves in the province.
Jacques Duchesneau will meet with the province's director general of elections Thursday to shed light on his allegations of illegal political fundraising tied to criminal activity.
A report written by Duchesneau, leaked to the media last week, describes collusion among the construction industry, political parties and criminal groups like the Mafia.
But it remained silent on the names of companies, individuals or political parties participating in such schemes.
The report broadly described ways in which the various players colluded to drive up the cost of public works contracts, with political parties and criminal groups sharing in the proceeds.
Duchesneau, a former Montreal police chief who now heads the provincial anti-collusion task force, also has another public appearance planned.
He will appear next Tuesday before a committee of Quebec's provincial legislature.
Duchesneau has told Montreal's Le Devoir he plans to speak bluntly about a problem he says is "worse than people think.'' He is hinting that his report is just the beginning.
On Wednesday, the provincial government announced that 74 recent public-works contracts would be examined.
The contracts, which resulted in cost overruns, will be scrutinized by the Transport Department's internal auditors.
The government is downplaying the scale of corruption, saying there were cost overruns for only 3.2 per cent of the 1,528 contracts awarded by the government in 2010-11.
