MONTREAL, Que. -- A Quebec construction magnate says he buttered up a powerful union boss with expensive hockey tickets, fancy dinners and even a trip to Italy, but he can't say if he got anything in return.

Joe Borsellino, head of Garnier Construction, admits he was generous with the former head of the Quebec Federation of Labour's construction wing, Jocelyn Dupuis.

He calls him a friend.

On the stand for a second day at a provincial corruption inquiry Tuesday, Borsellino faced a grilling from commission counsel about his relationship with Dupuis, who once ran Quebec's most powerful construction union.

The testimony has been complicated. Borsellino, who was heard speaking smooth French on police wiretaps, said he was having trouble understanding questions being posed to him in that language.

His responses have come in both official languages, with the two frequently mixed into the same sentence. When asked why he gave Dupuis so many gifts, Borsellino gave a reply in French and English.

"Well, he's a friend, mais aussi (but also) because he's at the union," Borsellino said

Borsellino said that while he never gave Dupuis money, he often plied him with gifts like hockey tickets to Montreal Canadiens games, fancy meals and even a trip to Italy with their wives.

Others joined that trip too: former municipal public-works boss Robert Marcil and Yves Lortie, a vice-president from another construction firm.

Borsellino said a number of cancelled City of Montreal contracts, worth millions, were what pushed him to invite Marcil. "I wanted to improve my relationship with the city," Borsellino told the commission, adding that he never gave Marcil any money.

Borsellino paid for much of the Italy trip out of pocket and it cost him $50,000.

He also gave him access to a $300,000 luxury condominium in an Old Montreal building for three years until it was sold in 2010.

The building, located on De la Commune Street, has made headlines in the last week, being described in reports as a haven for biker gangs and Mafia associates.

The inquiry heard wiretaps of Dupuis and Borsellino discussing a $40 million contract to refurbish a Rio Tinto plant in Saguenay and whether Dupuis might be able to help him get the winning bid.

A wide range of topics came up during the calls: a potential investment in Parasuco Jeans by the FTQ's investment wing; a Club Med development project in Florida; and then-provincial cabinet minister Tony Tomassi.

Borsellino said he had done a "little thing" for Tomassi, who later resigned from politics in scandal and who now faces fraud charges. He did not specify what that "little thing" might have been.

Garnier did not win the contract for the Rio Tinto project.

"If I had a project, I talked to him. He was a friend," was how Borsellino described his relationship with the union boss.

"To the best of my knowledge, he didn't help me get any contracts."

Dupuis headed FTQ-Construction between 1997 and 2008. It is the largest construction labour union in the province.

He was forced to resign in 2008. Dupuis is now facing unrelated fraud charges.

Borsellino suggested the relationship with Dupuis might have been more beneficial to the latter. He said he remains on friendly terms with Dupuis.

Borsellino did not agree to be pre-interviewed by inquiry investigators and his testimony has been laden with vague answers and frequent memory lapses.

At one point inquiry chair France Charbonneau intervened and warned Borsellino that vague answers wouldn't get him anywhere.

His name has been mentioned previously by former city employees who say they received kickbacks from Borsellino.

Another high-profile witness, Lino Zambito, has said that Borsellino's company Garnier was one of those that belonged to a cartel of companies that controlled sewer deals.

Later in the day, Borsellino said he had heard rumours about collusion in the Montreal construction industry since the 1980s.

He said it was actually a now-notorious civil servant -- now nicknamed "Mr. GST" -- who approached him to suggest he partner up in schemes with other companies.

"There's people at the city who were very powerful," Borsellino said.

"And they could tell a contractor, 'You're not gonna make any money unless you listen to me."'