The Charbonneau commission gets underway today.

The long anticipated inquiery will look into  allegations of corruption involving construction firms, local and provincial
governments, political parties, and organized crime.

Commission president France Charbonneau will give her opening remarks later this morning.

She is expected to begin hearing witnesses in early June for three weeks before picking up again in mid-September.

Premier Jean Charest spent two years resisting demands for an inquiry, arguing that police probes and tougher laws were sufficient to deal with mounting evidence that the cost of public works was being driven up by criminal collusion involving organized crime.

He finally relented last year as public concern showed no sign of abating.