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Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest is seen during a press conference at the hotel Matignon in Paris, Wednesday, Oct 5, 2011.Michel Spingler/AP

There may be some relief for Quebec Liberals waiting in anticipation for an expected announcement on Tuesday by their leader Premier Jean Charest that he has finally bowed to public pressure and will hold an inquiry into corruption in the construction industry.

But according to a senior party member who asked to remain anonymous, Mr. Charest will not define the mandate and the make-up of the inquiry right away, noting the first objective was to buy time and avoid further resignations within party ranks as dissension grows on the eve of the party's convention Friday.

Last Wednesday, five of the seven members of the Terrebonne Liberal riding association near Montreal resigned. The resignations followed those of a party organiser in the Gatineau region, Étienne Boulerice, of the Jonquière riding association president Alexis St-Gervais, and of Mr. Charest's speech writer Patrice Servant, all of whom expressed concern over the government's refusal to hold a public inquiry.

Liberal caucus members have been convened for an early meeting on Tuesday morning to examine the government's proposal and receive instructions on how to reassure their angry constituents that an inquiry will finally be held.

With only a few days until the party's 31st convention, the first since 2008, Mr. Charest appears determined to silence those who plan to discuss the need for a public inquiry at the convention for fear that the debate may fuel further dissent in full public view.

The opposition remained skeptical that the government's announcement will satisfy the public's demand for a public inquiry after being against a probe for the past 30 months.

"I do not anticipate that there will be a public inquiry. I anticipate the Liberal government... worked hard in the past few days to invent something new... but that won't achieve the goals a vast majority of Quebecers want it to achieve," said Parti Québécois Public Security critic Stéphane Bergeron.

Liberals are concerned that if the government refuses to act now, their supporters will be tempted to join the ranks of the coalition created by former Parti Québécois minister François Legault who plans to launch a new political party in the coming weeks.

The yet-to-be-formed party was leading in recent public opinion polls and was drawing support from Liberals and PQ members alike with a promise to set aside the old federalist-sovereigntist divide and focus instead on health, education and the economy.

Relentless pressure for a public inquiry was re-ignited by a report last month from the head of the Transport Ministry's anti-collusion squad, Jacques Duchesneau, who described in gripping detail organized crime's grip on Quebec's construction industry. The report explained how illegal practices has bred a culture of corruption, collusion and influence-peddling in the awarding of lucrative government road-building contracts.

The devastating report tells a story of intimidation, threats, fear and illegal practices involving construction companies that operate like cartels as well as engineering firms that control illegal schemes.

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