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Two months before the Charbonneau Commission submits it report on collusion and corruption in the construction industry, Quebec has launched a program to try to recoup millions of dollars from companies that defrauded taxpayers over the past 20 years.

The voluntary repayment program gives companies and individuals an opportunity to reimburse money from public contracts that they obtained through collusion, bid-rigging or other fraudulent acts dating back to 1996. The public contracts include those signed with municipalities, provincial government departments like Transport Quebec, hospitals, universities and any other public body. The contracts could have been awarded in any industry, including construction, information technology, consulting or public relations.

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During the Charbonneau Commission hearings, several witnesses testified that firms doing business with municipalities inflated costs by adding “extras” to contracts.

Firms that decide not to participate in the program risk facing civil suits launched by Quebec that could take years to wind their way through the courts, said François Rolland, the former chief justice of Quebec Superior Court, who is the program’s administrator.