QUEBEC CITY - First Premier Jean Charest refused to call an inquiry into corruption in the construction, then he created an inquiry that would not be able to compel witnesses to testify.
Now the Charbonneau Commission has been granted the full powers of a public inquiry by the Charest government, Justice Minister Jean Marc Fournier announced Wednesday.
The commission, led by Superior Court Justice France Charbonneau, is set to tackle corruption in Quebec's multibillion-dollar construction industry and its ties to politics and organized crime.
Charbonneau has been given a two-year mandate to wade through the web of corruption that has reportedly ensnared many of the province's institutions.
When the commission was announced by Jean Charest in October, the parameters were a source of speculation for critics.
Charbonneau was told she would not be able to subpoena witnesses to testify. Nor will she be able to entice them to appear by offering legal immunity for any incriminating testimony.
Those parameters have now been lifted.
According to the government, Justice Charbonneau deemed it "essential" to allow it to have the powers and immunities.
The commissioner can now compel witnesses to testify, while allowing them immunity.
Fournier also announced the appointment of two co-commissioners on Justice Charbonneau's recommendation.
They are McGill University constitutional scholar Roderick Macdonald, and the province's current auditor-general Renaud Lachance.
With files from The Canadian Press
