France Charbonneau. (TVA)

QUEBEC CITY — Canadians will hear about Mafia kickbacks, unscrupulous bureaucrats and dirty campaign financing in Quebec for 18 months longer than planned.

The province confirmed Tuesday that it has granted an extension to the Charbonneau commission, which will have until April 2015 to table its final report.

The inquiry, headed by former judge and prosecutor France Charbonneau, had initially planned to release final recommendations by this coming October.

But Justice Minister Bertrand St-Arnaud said the commission needs more time "get to the bottom of things."

"Eighteen months is a long time, but the commission says it's necessary to shed light in its entirety," said the minister.

Quebec has asked for a preliminary report by January.

The commission has heard that a cabal of Mafia-linked construction firms paid bribes to Montreal bureaucrats in exchange for lucrative contracts.

Cash was also pumped, under the table, to municipal and provincial political parties of all stripes, according to witnesses.