Charest aware of construction cash: ex-minister

Quebec Premier Jean Charest was aware his party was receiving questionable funding from sources linked to the provinces construction industry, former Quebec justice minister Marc Bellemare said on Wednesday.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Bellemare rebutted Charests claim Wednesday that the former minister had "never, never, never," told him about the issue.

But he was unable to say when exactly he had informed the premier about the alleged problems.

During question period at the national assembly, the opposition Parti Qubcois latched onto accusations made by the former minister with renewed calls for a public inquiry into allegations of collusion and corruption into the provinces construction industry.

In media interviews, Bellemare had said he was privy to information he couldn't divulge to the public while he was a minister inthe Charest government from 2003 to 2004.

He claimed he can make a direct link between the Liberals and the construction industry, and has knowledge that could embarrass the government.

But in response to questions from PQ Leader Pauline Marois, Charest denied Bellemare had ever said anything to him about the subject.

Government house leader Jacques Dupuis urged Bellemare to contact to police if he had anything to say.

Chief electoral officer concerned

Officials with the office of Quebecs chief electoral officer have indicated they would contact Bellemare to address his allegations, saying they take the issue very seriously.

However, the former minister told The Canadian Press that he was only interested in speaking before a public inquiry.

A public inquiry would have the scope to address the entire problem, while the chief electoral officer could only look at the issue from a very specific angle, said Bellemare.

Quebec announced last fall it was launching a widespread investigation into the construction sector.

The province has also introduced new legislation to tighten the financing of political parties and the awarding of public contracts.

The PQ has repeatedly pressed the Liberal government on allegations that tie it to the construction industry.

At a weekend caucus meeting, Marois suggested Charest is avoiding a public probe into the construction industry because he doesn't want to "bite the hand that feeds him."

The PQ has also urged the election director's office to investigate Bellemare's allegations.

Documents obtained by The Canadian Press, however,show the PQ has received donations from a former union boss in the industry who's facing fraud and forgery charges.

Jocelyn Dupuis, the former head of the Quebec Federation of Labour's influential construction wing, donated between $250 and $450 to the PQ between 2003 to 2007.

Bellemare, a lawyer, resigned from provincial politics in 2004, claiming he was frustrated at how difficult it was to reform Quebec's public institutions.