Richard Warman

Nina wins

http://www.thenownewspaper.com/issues06/014106/news/014106nn3.html

Jan. 25

Nina Grewal rides Conservative wave to Ottawa

Marisa Babic

As soon as the first poll results were flashed on the TV screen, it was clear the race between incumbent Conservative MP Nina Grewal and Liberal challenger Brenda Locke was going to be a tight one.

After a seesaw battle all night, at times with only 600 or 700 votes separating the two candidates, Grewal won the riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells by a slim margin.

Grewal received 14,577 votes and Locke trailed with 13,762.

In an interview with the Now after her victory, Grewal acknowledged the squeaker.

"I'm really humbled and honoured. The constituents of Fleetwood-Port Kells put their trust in me," Grewal said at her celebration party at the Days Inn. "I'm feeling great. I was confident right from the beginning that we would win this race."

Grewal wasn't feeling quite so confident earlier in the evening when she showed up at her campaign headquarters to support her volunteers and campaign team. She offered cautious comments about her personal chances of victory, although she was still musing about a possible Tory majority.

She was at a loss to explain the close race between her and Locke.

"I don't know. I have no idea," said Grewal who showed up at her campaign headquarters without her husband, Gurmant Grewal, who was embroiled in a bizarre taping controversy last summer.

She denied the scandal cost her votes.

"I have done lots and lots of door knocking and nobody came up with that taping thing," she said.

Gurmant Grewal, a three-term Reform and Conservative MP, was at the celebration party but Nina entered the room to cheering supporters on her own.

Grewal stepped aside for this election, claiming he wanted to spare his party further controversy. Although he was pleased by the election results, he admitted he was disappointed at not being part of the victory as his party finally tastes power. He believes he would have played "a significant role" in government.

With spare time on his hands, Grewal said he might be writing a book, possibly a tell-all about the taping scandal and other machinations in Ottawa.

Nina Grewal finessed a question about a possible cabinet post.

"Let's see. Let's hope for the best. I can't say much, it depends on Mr. Harper," she said.

Grewal acknowledged that Canadians' expectations have been raised with the Conservative victory, especially in the West, which has felt alienated over the years by centrist Ontario-Quebec governments. She rejected a suggestion her team lacks experience and insists they are up to the job of governing the country.

"We have all the experience. We are offering hope, vision for the country and we are a good alternative to the Liberals and we will give that hope and vision," she said.

Locke admitted it's tough to lose when you're so close.

She said her campaign team put up a good fight and warned Grewal she'll be back for a re-match in the next election.

"I'm definitely in it for next time," Locke said at her campaign headquarters, where supporters included Gulzar Cheema, who failed to win the riding in the 2004 election.

"I'll be working on delivering Fleetwood-Port Kells and I'll watching every step that Nina Grewal makes and she better do a better job or she'll have me and a whole bunch of other people to answer to.

"She's not getting another chance."

Locke said she'll use the time until the next election to build a stronger base of support.

Grewal supporters were jubilant when Conservative leader Stephen Harper was projected to become the next prime minister early in the evening while Grewal was still fighting for her seat.

"Excited - a western prime minister and a young man," said 82-year-old Jenny Leach who came to campaign headquarters to wait for the results with her husband Fred Leech, 83.

"He's a western prime minister for a change. That's what counts," said her hubby.

"It will mean we'll get an even break for a change."

NDP contender Barry Bell captured 10,961 votes. Independent candidate Jack Cook received 3,202 votes and Green party candidate Duncan McDonald garnered 1,059 votes.

David Sweet

David Sweet Watch is a new blog following David Sweet

Globe and Mail: Harper failed to meet ethics czar on Grewal

Harper failed to meet ethics czar on Grewal
By CAMPBELL CLARK
Thursday, January 26, 2006 Posted at 5:22 AM EST
From Thursday's Globe and Mail

OTTAWA — Stephen Harper failed to meet federal Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro despite repeated attempts over four months to interview him for an inquiry into the Gurmant Grewal affair, Mr. Shapiro noted in a report released yesterday.

Despite a code of conduct that says it is an MP's duty to co-operate with an inquiry by the commissioner, Mr. Harper's office told Mr. Shapiro he could not find time in his schedule to answer his questions between August and November of last year. Instead, Mr. Shapiro spoke to an aide.

The report was ready last Friday but delayed to prevent accusations of political favouritism in the last days of an election campaign. In the report, Mr. Shapiro wrote that he wanted to ask Mr. Harper when he knew about the surreptitious recordings of conversations that Mr. Grewal, then a Conservative MP, had with senior Liberals about switching sides for a crucial no-confidence vote.

In the end, Mr. Shapiro concluded that it is unclear whether Mr. Grewal was really seeking a reward for crossing the Commons floor, or whether he wanted merely to entrap the Liberals -- but that at the very least, his actions flew in the face of the principles of the code of conduct for MPs.

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On the eve of a no-confidence vote last May 19 that the Liberals won by one vote, Mr. Harper's office released excerpts of recordings Mr. Grewal made, and asserted that Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Tim Murphy, chief of staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin, offered him and his wife, Nina, also an MP, patronage jobs if they switched sides.

Two weeks later, under pressure, Mr. Grewal began releasing versions of all the conversations -- the first with 14 minutes missing. The last version showed that while Mr. Murphy and Mr. Dosanjh said he would be welcomed to the Liberals and did not rule out appointments, they refused to make any deal.

In his report, Mr. Shapiro cleared Mr. Dosanjh and Mr. Murphy of violating the code.

He said there is no evidence that they offered a specific inducement, such as a cabinet post or diplomatic appointment for Mr. Grewal or Ms. Grewal, who was re-elected on Monday. They both corroborated Mr. Martin's testimony that he had instructed them not to make any deal.

But Mr. Shapiro wrote that Mr. Dosanjh and Mr. Murphy should have stopped the "conversational dance" with Mr. Grewal -- who did not seek re-election in Monday's federal election -- when he repeatedly asked for a reward for switching sides.

Mr. Dosanjh said in an interview he was "relieved" that Mr. Shapiro found he did not violate the code of ethics, but he charged that Mr. Harper knew about and condoned the taping of conversations.

"It's troubling for me that the decision to actually go public with the tapes was made in the office of the then-Leader of the Opposition, now prime-minister-designate Harper," Mr. Dosanjh said.

"I shudder to think that a person who wants to be the prime minister of the country and is parroting words such as openness, integrity, honesty, accountability and transparency, hid from the Ethics Commissioner while he has an obligation as a member of Parliament to co-operate fully with the Ethics Commissioner."

A spokesman for Mr. Harper, William Stairs, noted that the Conservative Leader's former communications director, Geoff Norquay, met with the Ethics Commissioner, and said Mr. Harper did meet with members of the RCMP who also looked into the affair.

"I understand that Dr. Shapiro got all the information he needed from the members of our staff," he said.

Mr. Harper said publicly last spring that he did not speak to Mr. Grewal about his meetings with the senior Liberals until the morning of May 18, two days after the talks began.

He said he told Mr. Grewal not to tape a conversation with Mr. Martin if he met with him.

Although Mr. Grewal continued to tape conversations later that day, Mr. Harper defended his MP, saying that tape-recording conversations is legal.

The Ethics Commissioner wrote that Mr. Norquay corroborated that version of events, but that he was unable to speak to Mr. Harper despite "numerous attempts" to clarify that it was only on May 18 that Mr. Grewal told him "that he was tape recording conversations with the Liberals about crossing the floor and the offers that were being discussed."

The MPs' code of conduct calls for them to maintain high ethical standards and enhance trust in their integrity.

"Regardless of which is, in fact, the case, Mr. Grewal's actions were in my view entirely inappropriate and deserving at the very least, of reproach," he wrote.

Reached yesterday, Mr. Grewal said he had not yet read the Ethics Commissioner's report.

story about Gordon Stamp, campaign manager

Riding offices ho-ho-hold the vote
Christmas Day just another workday for elections-office staff as voters cast special ballots across the country

Jason Markusoff and Alex Hutchinson, The Edmonton Journal; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, December 26, 2005

Of all the traditional things there are to do on Christmas, voting is not one of them.

Changes in Canada's electoral law since the last winter campaign in 1979-80 stipulate that offices in all 308 ridings must be open every day from the time the writ is dropped until six days before the election, a spokesman for Elections Canada said.

And with no traffic, no lineups and mild weather in many areas of the country, at least some voters were taking advantage of the opportunity.

The Edmonton Centre returning office at Westmount Shopping Centre had a slow but steady stream of voters.
Karen Cuthbert and Glyn Williams are heading on a Thailand vacation early Tuesday, and needed to vote in advance. They were surprised at a 15-minute wait on Christmas Day.

"We could have gone yesterday (on Christmas Eve), but it would have been really busy at the mall," Cuthbert said. "This was a perfect time to go when it was quiet."

A Grant MacEwan College student grinned widely as he came out from behind the cardboard voting booth. "I couldn't think of anything more perverse to do on Christmas Day than go vote," he said, unwilling to offer his name, let alone his voting preference.

Jean Perley, who was filling out her ballot at the Ottawa-Vanier returning office, said: "I thought I was hearing things on the radio when they said I could come and vote today."

After phoning Elections Canada to make sure she had heard correctly, Perley and her husband, Alan, decided to exercise their franchise, since they will be in Florida on election day.

Many of the people taking advantage of the special ballot option are snowbirds like the Perleys, said Daniel Laurin, the supervisor of special ballots in Ottawa-Vanier.

"There are a lot of senior citizens living in this riding," Laurin said.

"Some of them are already in Florida; others will be heading there after Christmas."

The special ballot differs from the advance polls that will be held on January 13, 14 and 16, since candidates have until January 2 at 2 p.m. to declare their candidacy. As a result, no ballots are printed, and voters instead have to write in the name of their preferred candidate.

While this demands an additional measure of political awareness, voters needn't worry about getting the spelling exactly right.

"The idea is that the intention must be clear," an Elections Canada spokesman said.

"If it's badly written, but the intention is clear, then it will still count."

Josephine Stamp's vote in Edmonton East was a sort of Christmas gift to her new country. Originally from Indonesia, this was her first ballot as a Canadian citizen.

"Now is a day that I've waited for for a very long time," she said. "I'm doing my duty as a citizen."

She also brought coconut shortbread cookies for the returning office staff, a little gift from the riding's Conservative campaign. Stamp's husband, Gordon Stamp, is campaign manager for incumbent candidate Peter Goldring.

"I didn't believe they should be open today, so I thought this would be something nice to do," Josephine said.

Surrey Leader: Grewal trailed in poll, but it wasn't a factor

Grewal trailed in poll, but it wasn't a factor

By Dan Ferguson Staff Reporter
Dec 02 2005

I could have won, insists Newton-North Delta MP

A Conservative Party of Canada poll carried out before Newton-North Delta MP Gurmant Grewal resigned showed the controversy-plagued MP faced an uphill battle for re-election. "I was running behind," Grewal told The Leader on Wednesday, the day after he announced he would not be running in the current election.

Grewal would not reveal the exact numbers in the recent poll, except to say he wasn't behind by much. "It was neck and neck."

Grewal said the poll results did not prompt his decision, adding he's won come-from-behind victories three federal elections in a row. "Every single time I was underestimated."

He said he made his decision to withdraw on Monday after learning the Liberals were planning to revive the controversy that erupted when he secretly taped discussions with senior Liberals about him joining the party.

It would be a "smear campaign," Grewal said, one that would twist the facts and paint him as a person of questionable ethics.

Grewal has said the Liberals sought him out and dangled plum jobs to get him to cross the Commons floor, while the Liberals claimed Grewal was the one who made the approach and angled for the postings.

He maintains there are no new revelations that could be used against him. "If I look in my closet, there is not enough inventory in it," he said.

Another factor in his decision was the delayed release of a report on the taping by Parliament's ethics commissioner. Grewal understood the report would be released before the election, and had heard rumours that it would be critical of the Liberals' conduct during the discussions. But without those findings, Grewal said he knew it would be easier for the Liberals to distract voters and divert attention from the governing party's sponsorship scandal. "The dogs (would) keep barking," he said.

Grewal admitted to some frustration, even anger at the way the taping controversy played out. He is proud of having a tough hide, but he tensed and his eyes narrowed for a moment when he was asked about Conservative leader Stephen Harper's decision to crack a joke during a parliamentary press gallery dinner in Ottawa about Grewal re-editing a video tape of a hockey game.

Then, he shrugged it off and said Harper was simply poking fun at news coverage, and he remains confident of his leader's support.

Beyond working "as a family member" to help his MP wife Nina get re-elected, he said he hasn't decided what comes next. He confirmed he has been sounded out about being a talk-show host on a local Punjabi-language radio station, but described it as a tentative offer and only one of several possibilities open to him.

"I'm an optimistic man," he said. "I have an MBA (master of business administration degree). I have options."

He said he may write a book about his experiences as one of the first South Asians to be elected to parliament in Canada.

Grewal is proud of his record, listing off accomplishments that include forcing the federal government to remove radioactive material from Surrey storage sites, campaigning to win legal protection for whistle-blowers and the elimination of taxes on taxes.

In nine years as MP, he said he never took a vacation.

The 47-year-old will not be eligible to collect a parliamentary pension until he turns 55.

"I used to think politics is a noble profession," he said. Now, he said the battering he took over the tapes and other issues has left him "somewhat cynical" about the way the political game is played.

(Unrelated: Cindy Silver, North Vancouver)

Harper jokes about Grewal's editing skills

Over at CFRA radio is a story about last night's Press Gallery Dinner, an annual event at which politicians and press get together to roast one another.

Stephen Harper had what looks like the evening's best line:Harper added that the reason why Tory MP Gurmant Grewal missed the gala was because he was "at home taping the hockey game for his boss" and "editing it to make sure his team won."

Oct. 22, 2005: Harper makes joke about Grewal's editing skills

http://www.cfra.com/headlines/index.asp?cat=1&nid=33203

Governor General Admits ... She's 'Hot'
Darren McEwen
Sunday, October 23, 2005 2:46 AM

Members of Parliament and Canada's new Governor General took time out of their busy schedules to roast each other and the media Saturday night. The annual Parliamentary Press Gallery Dinner was held at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau.

Governor General Michaelle Jean jokingly admitted the real reason why Prime Minister Martin selected her to be the GG.

"He chose me because I'm hot!" Jean said to a jovial audience.

But not everyone was bragging about their looks. "I'm probably the only person here who looks like their passport photo," said Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

Harper added that the reason why Tory MP Gurmant Grewal missed the gala was because he was "at home taping the hockey game for his boss" and "editing it to make sure his team won."

Prime Minister Martin, NDP Leader Jack Layton and even former prime minister Brian Mulroney addressed the crowd.

Oct. 4, 2005: Grewal speaks on whistle-blowing legislation

From Hansard Oct. 4, 2005:

Mr. Gurmant Grewal (Newton—North Delta, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today on behalf of the constituents of Newton—North Delta to participate in the report stage debate on Bill C-11, the public servants disclosure protection act. Bill C-11 creates a procedure for the disclosure of wrongdoing in the federal public sector. If enacted, this bill would finally give Canada whistleblowing legislation, something other nations have had for decades.

When we look into the background of the bill, we see that this government has had 4,350 days to fulfill its promise and introduce effective whistleblowing legislation. That is how long this government has had.

The former government House leader, the hon. member for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, said in 1992, while in opposition, “Public servants must be able to report about illegal or unethical behaviour that they encounter on the job without fear or reprisal”. In his speech, the hon. member then went on to quote a Liberal caucus-approved document, “Public Sector Ethics”, calling for whistleblowing legislation.

However, once secure in office, the Liberals quickly forgot about their promises. In the end, it took the sponsorship scandal for this weak-kneed government to dust off its decade-old promise.

Meanwhile, we have witnessed billions of taxpayers' dollars disappear. The sponsorship scandal could have been avoided or at least quashed years ago if whistleblowing legislation had been in place. The same holds true for the HRDC boondoggle, the George Radwanski affair, the gun registry cost overruns and so on.

Public service integrity officer Edward Keyserlingk, referring to the sponsorship program scandal, said that whistleblowing legislation could have saved taxpayers millions of dollars by giving public servants “the confidence to come forward”.

It is little wonder no one blew the whistle on this scandal. In the absence of any whistleblowing legislation, even well-meaning public servants are reluctant to come forward because they know that making trouble will be a career ending move.

This government claims to support whistleblowers, but its actions indicate otherwise. Let us look at the case of the three scientists from Health Canada who were fired in June 2004: Margaret Haydon, Shiv Chopra and Gérard Lambert.

They were among this country's most outspoken whistleblowers. They raised issues such as the safety of a bovine growth hormone proposed for use in dairy herds to boost milk production, the influence of corporations in government drug approvals, and the need to keep animal parts out of the feed supply to keep beef safe. All three were fired on the same day for undisclosed reasons, which, Canadians were told, had nothing whatsoever to do with their whistleblowing. The government must think Canadians are hopelessly naive.

The Liberals have been boasting about Bill C-11 and everything they are doing for public servants who disclose wrongdoing. However, firing dissenting research scientists sends another message. It tells public servants that debate is discouraged in the federal government and no one's job is safe.

As far as Bill C-11 is concerned, in its original form the bill would have done more harm than good for whistleblowers. However, after a lot of hard work by Conservatives in committee, some of the major flaws have been corrected.

À (1010)

I do not want anyone to get me wrong. The bill is still far from perfect but thanks to the pressure applied by the Conservative Party, the government has relented and tabled amendments to create an independent commissioner to hear and investigate disclosures of wrongdoing. This was an essential change to the proposed legislation.

Other amendments have not been forthcoming, including: having the commissioner report directly to Parliament instead of to a minister; prohibitions of reprisals against those who make disclosures of wrongdoing to the public, media, police or anyone outside the narrow process prescribed in the bill; elimination of provisions to change the Access to Information Act to allow departments to refuse to release information about internal disclosures of wrongdoing for five years; and, the bill would still allow cabinet to arbitrarily remove government bodies from protection under Bill C-11.

The bill represents an improvement over the status quo but it remains clear that the government is more interested in managing whistleblowing than protecting and encouraging public servants who uncover evidence of wrongdoing.

It would be interesting to know if there could have been a better way to protect whistleblowers. Like the members for New Brunswick Southwest and Winnipeg Centre, as well as Senator Kinsella, I have for years been lobbying for a strong whistleblower protection. In October 2000, I introduced Bill C-508, the whistleblower human rights act, which was probably the first bill introduced in that session about whistleblowing protection.

My legislation, drafted with the help of actual whistleblowers, including Joanna Gualtieri, Brian McAdam, Robert Reid and many others, would have given people the confidence to come forward but the Liberals could not muster up the courage to support an opposition member's bill.

When the bill finally came to a vote in February 2003 as Bill C-201, because I had reintroduced the same bill, government members refused to lend their support to my initiative. If the government had been sincere about whistleblowing, Liberal members would have voted differently that day. We know the government did not want to pass the bill at that time. Instead, it revealed how phoney its promise had been.

The last time I participated in the debate on Bill C-11, I highlighted a good comparison of my bill, which was drafted by whistleblowers, to Bill C-11 at that stage. There was a big contrast. Many members on the Liberal side were nodding their heads in favour of some of the things that I was proposing in my bill.

The government needs to do more to encourage the reporting of wrongdoing and should stress that it is an important civic responsibility. In fact, it should be the stated duty of every employee to disclose any wrongdoing that comes to their attention.

Based on the experiences of the whistleblowers I have met, their careers and personal lives have been devastated. I believe an employee who has alleged wrongdoing and suffers from retaliatory action as a consequence should have a right to bring a civil action before a court. As well, allegations of wrongdoing should be rewarded like in California where whistleblowers are entitled to 10% of the money government saves as a result of their vigilance.

It is vital that the threat of employer retaliation be eliminated to encourage government employees to speak up. This will assist in curtailing the misuse of taxpayer dollars. Every day there seems to be new reports of corruption and scandal with the government that could be eliminated.

When I blew the whistle on whistleblowing, the Liberals had their ears plugged. Four years ago, in the face of government opposition, I introduced legislation which the Liberals refused to support at that time. Now is the time they should be serious about making this bill effective. Since it was first introduced some important amendments have been made but it is still flawed. I think we will let it pass so that a Conservative government will have the opportunity to make it stronger.

Aug. 12, 2005: Canoe. RCMP press release on completion of review of Gurmant Grewal's recordings

RCMP will not launch criminal investigation into Grewal tapes

OTTAWA (CP) - The RCMP will not launch a criminal investigation into the Gurmant Grewal affair, saying there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a probe into allegations of bribery and related wrongdoing.

In a statement Friday, the Mounties said they have reviewed complaints surrounding surreptitious audio recordings the Conservative member of Parliament made of conversations with Liberal MPs last spring. The RCMP say they listened to the tapes, interviewed those involved and determined no criminal investigation is warranted.

"We're pleased that the RCMP has cleared Mr. Grewal," said Williams Stairs, the communications director for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

"We were confident all along of his integrity and the RCMP has confirmed our judgment," Stairs said.

Grewal, MP for the B.C. riding of Newton-North Delta, was unavailable for comment.

Grewal claimed that Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Tim Murphy, Prime Minister Paul Martin's chief of staff, had offered him and his wife Nina, also a British Columbia MP, positions if they joined the Liberals just before a crucial budget vote May 19.

Dosanjh said he was pleased to hear of the RCMP decision.

He was, however, critical of Harper's support of Grewal through what he called an "unseemly affair."

"I think it is important, however, for Canadians to reflect with concern on the fact that this sorry episode had its origins in the scheme by Mr. Grewal and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition to publicly besmirch my reputation and integrity with allegations of vote buying and bribery based on surreptitiously recorded tapes," Dosnajh said in a news release on Friday.

Also troubling Dosanjh was the fact that the tapes contained edits and splices.

Experts said the tapes may have been altered.

The minority government survived the vote with the support of the NDP and independent MPs.

Speaker Peter Milliken, a Liberal, broke the tie with his own vote, keeping Martin in power and averting a spring election.

In June, two Opposition parties asked for investigations into Martin's role in the secret-tapes affair.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe asked the RCMP to investigate, noting it is a criminal offence for an MP to sell his vote.

NDP Leader Jack Layton also asked Parliament's ethics commissioner to investigate Martin's role, too, after the commissioner, Bernard Shapiro, concluded that Murphy is not a public office holder and is therefore out of his jurisdiction.

"Mr. Murphy co-operated fully with the RCMP review and is pleased with the outcome," Melanie Gruer, a spokeswoman in the Prime Minister's Office, said Friday.

Grewal made headlines again in June when he was seen a Vancouver airport trying to get someone to take an envelope full of audio tapes to Ottawa.

He later went on stress leave.

The RCMP cleared him of wrongdoing in the airport incident but are still investigating complaints that contributors to Grewal's 2004 campaign have not received tax receipts for their money.

The Conservative party has said the cheques went to a supplier for campaign expenses.

Grewal has called allegations part of a Liberal party strategy to tarnish his image so the Liberals "can get off the hook (for) the taping incidents."

Dosanjh, a former NDP cabinet minister in British Columbia, said the donations were made "long before" he joined the Liberals and entered federal politics.

According to Elections Canada, a campaign contribution can be made directly to a candidate but receipts must be issued and funds must be deposited into the campaign or riding association account.

Aug. 12, 2005: RCMP press release on completion of review of Gurmant Grewal's recordings

Here is the RCMP press release:

RCMP completes review of Gurmant Grewal's recordings

Ottawa, August 12, 2005 — The RCMP has completed its review of complaints of criminal wrongdoing with respect to MP Gurmant Grewal’s audio recordings.

Persons the RCMP believed may have relevant information were interviewed and the tapes were examined.

The RCMP has determined that no criminal investigation is warranted at this time. It has advised the complainants and those whose conduct was being examined that the review is now concluded.

For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations
(613) 993-2999

Aug. 12, 2005: National Post: RCMP will not investigate Grewal tapes

No criminal investigation into tapes

Canadian Press
August 12, 2005

CREDIT: CP PICTURE ARCHIVE/Tom Hanson
Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal stands in the House of Commons.

OTTAWA -- The RCMP will not launch a criminal investigation into the Gurmant Grewal affair, saying there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a probe into allegations of bribery and related wrongdoing. In a statement Friday, the Mounties said they have reviewed complaints surrounding surreptitious audio recordings the Conservative member of Parliament made of conversations with Liberal MPs last spring. The RCMP say they listened to the tapes, interviewed those involved and determined no criminal investigation is warranted.

"We're pleased that the RCMP has cleared Mr. Grewal," said Williams Stairs, the communications director for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper. "We were confident all along of his integrity and the RCMP has confirmed our judgment," Stairs said.

Grewal claimed that Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Tim Murphy, Prime Minister Paul Martin's chief of staff, had offered him and his wife Nina, also a British Columbia MP, positions if they joined the Liberals just before a crucial budget vote May 19. Experts said the tapes may have been altered.

The minority government survived the vote with the support of the NDP and independent MPs.

Speaker Peter Milliken, a Liberal, broke the tie with his own vote, keeping Martin in power and averting a spring election.

In June, two Opposition parties asked for investigations into Martin's role in the secret-tapes affair.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe asked the RCMP to investigate, noting it is a criminal offence for an MP to sell his vote.

NDP Leader Jack Layton also asked Parliament's ethics commissioner to investigate Martin's role, too, after the commissioner, Bernard Shapiro, concluded that Murphy is not a public office holder and is therefore out of his jurisdiction. "Mr. Murphy co-operated fully with the RCMP review and is pleased with the outcome," Melanie Gruer, a spokeswoman in the Prime Minister's Office, said Friday.

Grewal made headlines again in June when he was seen a Vancouver airport trying to get someone to take an envelope full of audio tapes to Ottawa. He later went on stress leave. The RCMP cleared him of wrongdoing in the airport incident but are still investigating complaints that contributors to Grewal's 2004 campaign have not received tax receipts for their money. The Conservative party has said the cheques went to a supplier for campaign expenses.

Grewal has called allegations part of a Liberal party strategy to tarnish his image so the Liberals "can get off the hook (for) the taping incidents." Dosanjh, a former NDP cabinet minister in British Columbia, said the donations were made "long before" he joined the Liberals and entered federal politics. According to Elections Canada, a campaign contribution can be made directly to a candidate but receipts must be issued and funds must be deposited into the campaign or riding association account.

Aug. 12, 2005: CP. RCMP will not investigate Grewal tapes

RCMP will not investigate Grewal
Friday, August 12, 2005 Updated at 5:48 PM EDT
Canadian Press

Ottawa — The RCMP will not launch a criminal investigation into the Germant Grewal affair.

The Mounties say they have reviewed complaints of criminal wrongdoing with respect to audio recordings the Conservative member of Parliament made of conversations with Liberal officials last spring.

The RCMP say they listened to the tapes and interviewed the principals involved and determined no criminal investigation is warranted.

Mr. Grewal claimed that Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Tim Murphy, Prime Minister Paul Martin's chief of staff, had offered him and his wife Nina, also an MP, patronage positions if they joined the Liberals just before an important budget vote May 19.

Mr. Grewal made headlines again in June when he was spotted at a Vancouver airport trying to get someone to take an envelope full of audio tapes to Ottawa. He later went on stress leave.

For a discussion of this and other stories related to Gurmant Grewal, his tapes, and other scandals follow this link.

Aug. 4. 2005: Winnipeg Sun satire

Winnipeg Sun (Manitoba)
August 4, 2005 Thursday
SECTION: EDITORIAL/OPINION; Pg. 11

LENGTH: 537 words
HEADLINE: CANADIAN POLITICS A GREWAL WORLD
BYLINE: BY ROSS MCLENNAN

Gurmant Grewal's assistant, a large man by the name of Benjamin Farnsby, introduced me to the controversial MP and then left us alone in the hotel room. I shook hands with Grewal, and we sat down at a small table.

"Ie-k, do, iqMn ... " Grewal said in a low voice.

"Sorry?" I said.

"Did you bring a tape recorder?" he said.

"Er ... Yes, I did."

"Uh-huh. Lucky I asked, eh?"

"It's standard equipment for an interview."

"Lemme see it."

"OK," I said. "I was just about to put it on the table."

"Sure you were," he said. I gave him the tape recorder. "It's very small," he said. "Small enough to fit right into your pocket, where it can't be seen."

"Well, the big, 125-pound, war-surplus two-reeler I usually lug around with me is in the shop right now," I said, "along with the Enigma machine I use to keep the competition from stealing the stories I file."

"Now you're being a wise guy," he said.

"I take them to interviews in a suitcase and tell everybody I'm going for an accordion lesson after we're finished. That way the suckers don't know I'm secretly recording them."

"Funny you should mention Enigma." Grewal said. "I told Stephen we should use those machines for secret party communications. If they worked for the Germans, they should work for us."

"They didn't work for the Germans," I said. "The British broke the code."

"Yes, but I doubt they handed it over to the Liberals."

"Does Stephen Harper still talk to you?" I said. Grewal smiled and fingered his tie clip.

"Let's just say that things have been said which allowed me to persuade Stephen how indispensable I am to the party," he said.

"Why are you wearing that tie clip?" I asked. Grewal laced his fingers together over the tie clip and sat back in his chair, pretending to relax.

"Tie clip?" he said.

"Yeah, the one you just hid under your hands."

He smiled and shrugged. "Why does anyone wear a tie clip?" he said.

"To hold down his tie."

"Well, then."

"You're not wearing a tie."

He didn't move. "Yes, I am," he said.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not. Are you wired?"

"Of course not," he said. "Dammit, Farnsby," he muttered, "you forgot the tie."

"Farnsby? You're talking to Farnsby? He's not even in the room."

"Oh ... right ... "

"Put that tie clip on the table," I said. Grewal took the tie clip off his shirt and put it on the table. I took off one of my shoes and smashed it down on the tie clip. There was a bellow of pain from outside the room, and Farnsby came crashing through the door, a set of earphones dangling around his neck.

"That's it, Grewal," he shouted. "No more tapes. No more recordings. I don't care what you have on that Harper tape about how much he hates making small talk with 'those bloody barbecue bozos,' I'm through, finished -- ".

Grewal held up his hand and smiled at Farnsby. "Ben, Ben," he said. "Have you forgotten about your ill-advised tete-a-tete with Carolyn Parrish?" Farnsby raised a shaking fist, opened and closed his mouth soundlessly and then turned abruptly and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Now, Mr. Swakhammer," said Grewal, "shall we continue with the interview?" He leaned forward, fiddling with the top button on his shirt. "Only, I wonder if you could speak a little louder. My hearing isn't as good as it used to be."

NOTES: Winnipeg Sun ace investigative reporter Emile Swakhammer has filed this exclusive interview with B.C. Conservative MP Gurmant (Tape Worm) Grewal ...

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For a discussion of this and other stories related to Gurmant Grewal, his tapes, and other scandals follow this link.

August 4, 2005: G&M: Tories lose bid to rein in MP over Grewal

Tories lose bid to rein in MP over Grewal
B.C. member won't retract comments about colleague's 'antics,' sources say
By BRIAN LAGHI
Thursday, August 4, 2005 Page A10
OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF; With a report from Gloria Galloway

The Conservative Party leadership tried and failed to extract a retraction from one of their B.C. MPs, who said recently that the "antics" of controversial MP Gurmant Grewal are hurting the party.

Sources said that John Cummins, MP for the riding of Delta-Richmond East, was asked by party Whip Rob Nicholson to sign a statement renouncing comments he made in a radio interview last month, in which he said Mr. Grewal's "antics have hurt the party." Mr. Cummins told Mr. Nicholson that he would not sign the retraction, the sources said.

In a brief interview, Mr. Cummins would neither confirm nor deny he was asked to retract his remarks, saying the issue was two weeks in the past. Mr. Nicholson also would not comment.

However, the issue will almost certainly come up for discussion at today's Tory summer caucus meeting in Toronto.

Although no other Tory MPs have spoken against Mr. Grewal in the controversy over tapes he made of discussions with senior Liberals about crossing the floor, some, such as deputy leader Peter MacKay, refused to support him on the matter.

The Grewal controversy has bubbled beneath the surface since the member for Newton-North Delta secretly taped two senior Liberals -- Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Paul Martin's chief of staff, Tim Murphy -- during discussions to get him to cross to their side of the House.

Last week, Mr. Grewal admitted in a written statement that Stephen Harper told him to stop taping talks with senior Liberals about leaving the Tories, a demand that was apparently made before Mr. Grewal's taped meeting with the senior Liberals.

Mr. Harper has not commented on the matter, but the party leaders continue to be sensitive about it, seeking the retraction from Mr. Cummins and, most recently, asking Mr. Grewal for public clarification of statements about the taping that he made to a newspaper in his riding.

One MP told The Globe and Mail that Mr. Harper's defence of Mr. Grewal has harmed the party's efforts to criticize the Liberals for ethical lapses.

"If you don't deal with it, it makes it much more difficult for you to turn around and criticize the government for its actions. And I think that's the issue," the MP said. "If Grewal was a minister they'd be going after him like there was no tomorrow."

But Peter Van Loan, a Conservative MP from Ontario, said that he does not believe Canadians are focused on the Grewal saga.

"I have spoken to literally thousands of people, and I don't think Mr. Grewal's name has come up once," said Mr. Van Loan, who has been going door to door in his York-Simcoe riding since the Commons broke for the summer.

He said most of the discussion at today's meeting is likely to centre on ways to communicate party policy before the coming election. "I think there's an increasing curiosity and appetite to hear what we would like to do in government."

The Conservatives continue to trail the Liberals in most opinion polls by about 10 percentage points. Those trends are also reflected in the voting intentions in British Columbia, a key part of the Tories' western stronghold, although polling experts said the sample sizes in most of those polls are too small to count on.

Tim Woolstencroft, managing partner of polling firm the Strategic Counsel, said the increasing popularity of the New Democrats may be eating into Tory support.

He added that the Tories may find themselves having to spend more time in B.C. in the next campaign than they would like. To win the election, Mr. Harper must expand the party's popularity in Ontario, an increasingly difficult prospect if he is obliged to protect the party's heartland seats in B.C.


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For a discussion of this and other stories related to Gurmant Grewal, his tapes, and other scandals follow this link.

August 1, 2005: The Hill Times on Grewal's clarification of Harper's role

At the bottom of this story in the Hill Times is a summary of what Grewal said about Harper's role.

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal (Fleetwood-Port Kells, B.C.), who has been under a cloud of controversy since May over controversial and secretly-taped discussions with Tim Murphy, chief of staff to the Prime Minister, and Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh (Vancouver South, B.C.), again made national headlines last week. Mr. Grewal has said he taped the discussions in order to prove the Liberals were trying to buy votes, but the Liberals say Mr. Grewal was selling his loyalty.

Last week, through the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Grewal stated in an official press release that Mr. Harper told him to stop the taping after Mr. Grewal said he had the possibility of taping Prime Minister Paul Martin (LaSalle-Émard, Que.).

Mr. Grewal issued the statement to clarify a Surrey Leader news report in which he suggested that Mr. Harper had approved the efforts to tape Mr. Murphy and Mr. Dosanjh, but not the Prime Minister.

In last week's statement, Mr. Grewal said that he informed Mr. Harper of what he was doing, but that "no approval was sought or given."

"An interview published in this week's Surrey Leader concerning the taping of conversations between myself, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, Tim Murphy, regarding the attempt to purchase my Parliamentary support in the spring of 2005 contains a statement to the effect that Conservative leader Stephen Harper gave his permission for me to tape these conversations. Once I had begun taping I informed Mr. Harper that I was doing so. No approval was sought or given. Subsequently when I told Mr. Harper that I had an opportunity to meet with and tape the prime minister, Mr. Harper told me to end the taping process."

It's expected that this issue will be discussed at this week's national caucus meeting.

Meanwhile, Jim Holt, president of the Newton-North Delta Electoral District Association, sent out a letter on July 14 to members of the riding association and to the constituents, saying that Mr. Grewal has been unfairly treated by the media and urged party members to write letters to local news organizations and radio talk shows to express their concerns about the coverage of the story.

"Although the media might not publish or broadcast your comments, I urge you to write a letter to the mainstream Vancouver newspapers, or call in to the local radio talk shows, and let them know just how angry you are at what has transpired," Mr. Holton wrote in his letter.

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For a discussion of this and other stories related to Gurmant Grewal, his tapes, and other scandals follow this link.

Surrrey Leader: Grewal, leader at odds over secret taping

Grewal, leader at odds over secret taping

By Dan Ferguson and Jeff Nagel
Jul 31 2005
Recordings continued despite leader's order to stop

The day after he says he was ordered to stop secretly recording conversations with Liberal party brass, Gurmant Grewal made at least two more tapes The Newton-North Delta MP said that Conservative party Leader Stephen Harper told him to "end the taping process" during a meeting in which Grewal raised the possibility of recording Prime Minister Paul Martin

The meeting with Harper, according to previous statements by both Grewal and Harper, took place on May 17. Yet Grewal's own records, posted publicly on his website, indicate that on May 18, the day after he said Harper ordered him to cease taping, he carried a hidden recording device into a meeting with Martin's chief of staff, Tim Murphy. The same records show Grewal also recorded at least one telephone conversation with a senior Liberal on May 18.

Grewal has said he made the tapes to prove his claim that the Liberals were engaging in "vote buying" by offering cushy appointments to induce him and his MP wife Nina to switch parties and vote with the minority Liberal government. During an interview with The Leader published last Wednesday, Grewal said that Harper knew and approved of his taping activities, and only forbade him from recording the prime minister.

Grewal said when he proposed secretly taping Martin should they meet, Harper initially said yes, then changed his mind.
"... first he (Harper) said, okay go ahead and do it, until I tell you otherwise. Then ... immediately in the same discussion he said, 'Gurmant, I think it's not a good idea.' And I agreed with him." The day after the interview appeared in print, Grewal issued a written "clarification" in which he said that Harper did know about the taping, but did not specifically approve the activity

"Once I had begun taping I informed Mr. Harper that I was doing so," Grewal said. "No approval was sought or given. Subsequently, when I told Mr. Harper that I had an opportunity to meet with and tape the prime minister, Mr. Harper told me to end the taping process."

William Stair, a spokesman for the Conservative party leader, appeared to contradict Grewal's claim that Harper was informed of the taping before the May 17 meeting. "That isn't true," Stairs told The Leader on Friday.

"They spoke (about the taping for the first time) on the 17th of May."

Stairs declined to discuss Grewal's apparent contravention of Harper's stop-taping order. "I don't know what sort of conclusion you can draw from that," Stairs said when asked about the May 18 recordings. "This is an issue between the two of them (Harper and Grewal)."

Stairs offered a muted defence of Grewal, saying the MP has "done nothing wrong that anyone has proven."

July 29, 2005: G & M report that Grewal ignored Harper order

The Globe and Mail :

By BRIAN LAGHI
Friday, July 29, 2005 Updated at 5:00 AM EDT
From Friday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa — Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal continued to secretly tape talks with a Liberal Party official over the possibility of switching parties last May even though he says his own leader told him to stop.

In a statement released yesterday, the British Columbia MP said that Stephen Harper told him to stop the taping after Mr. Grewal said he had the possibility of taping Prime Minister Paul Martin.

"When I told Mr. Harper that I had an opportunity to meet with and tape the Prime Minister, Mr. Harper told me to end the taping process," Mr. Grewal said in the statement.

According to the dates of conversations on his own website, Mr. Grewal met with and taped a conversation with Tim Murphy, Mr. Martin's chief of staff, the next day.

Yesterday's admission suggests that Mr. Harper has continued to keep Mr. Grewal in the party even though the MP appears to have disobeyed him.

Mr. Grewal issued the statement yesterday as a clarification to an interview he gave to a B.C. newspaper.

The newspaper story said Mr. Harper had approved the efforts to tape Mr. Murphy and Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh over talks that would have seen him move to the Liberal side of the House.

In his clarification yesterday, Mr. Grewal said he informed Mr. Harper of what he was doing, but that "no approval was sought or given."

Mr. Harper himself told the media earlier this year that he spoke with Mr. Grewal on May 17, the day before the last Murphy taping, when the Conservative Leader was in Regina meeting the Queen during her visit to Western Canada.

Mr. Harper did not say at that time whether he forbade Mr. Grewal to continue to tape.

He said he did not know that Mr. Grewal continued to make recordings, but defended Mr. Grewal all the same, saying Mr. Murphy should have known that all conversations are on the record.

He also said he was not aware that Mr. Murphy had been recorded subsequent to his May 17 chat with Mr. Grewal.

"My view in this business is that you assume you're on the record at all times," he said.

Asked yesterday if Mr. Grewal had broken the rules set down by the leader, a spokesman for Mr. Harper said that would be up to the party's MPs to decide.

"That's a decision that he and the caucus will have to make -- what to do," William Stairs said. "I can't speak for him."

Mr. Stairs said the real story is the role Mr. Dosanjh and Mr. Murphy played in the drama, and their discussions of a possible reward for Mr. Grewal should he cross the floor. Mr. Grewal could not be reached for comment last night.

Meanwhile, the Conservative caucus meets next week and the Grewal affair is almost certain to continue to be among the discussions. Some MPs have quietly expressed concerns that Mr. Grewal has become a drag on the party in British Columbia.

The RCMP and the Ethics Commissioner are investigating the taping matter, which led to Mr. Grewal leaving the Commons for a short time on stress leave.

The B.C. MP has been involved in a number of controversies over the past few months, which he says are attributable to a Liberal smear campaign. In the B.C. article, he said he has every intention to run in the next election.

July 27, 2005: Letter to the Now: Grewal has no credibility

MP claims no involvement; counts herself in on plan

The Editor,

Re: "Nina stands by her man," the Now, July 23.

Nina Grewal's statement that her husband's actions in making the tapes was because: "we (note, "we") wanted to catch them red-handed," contains not a molecule of credibility.

If even a half-wit had planned a "sting" operation such as Gurmant Grewal now claims he did, he would have ensured that others were aware of his plans so his motives could be confirmed later. He would, for example, have signed an affidavit outlining his plan and had it notarized for date. He, Gurmant Grewal in this case, would certainly have told his MP wife although she now claims (despite the "we") that she had nothing to do with the tapes. The after-the-event claim of a "sting," is clearly bogus.

The question becomes: Is either of the Grewals an appropriate representative of large numbers of Canadian citizens in the parliament of the nation, even with the loyal support of the Conservative party?

Dave Poole, Surrey

July 15, 2005: Grewal donor acknowledges ties to Dosanjh

Grewal donor who wants tax receipt acknowledges ties to Dosanjh
Beleaguered MP under investigation over '04 campaign

Nicholas Read
CanWest News Service

Friday, July 15, 2005


VANCOUVER - The Vancouver businessman who is demanding a tax receipt for money he gave Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal two years ago says he is a member at large of Liberal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh's riding association.

Sarup Mann insisted that has nothing to do with his now public demands that Mr. Grewal provide him with tax receipts for a $600 donation he made to Mr. Grewal in 2003 and a $1,800 donation he made to Mr. Grewal's wife, Nina, in 2004.

Mr. Grewal is currently being investigated by the RCMP for donations made to his 2004 re-election campaign.

Mr. Grewal has said the donations were made before new election financing rules came into force and called this latest controversy the work of a smear campaign by the Liberal party, which Mr. Mann denies.

''We've been trying to get a tax receipt from him since February of 2003, and Mr. Dosanjh wasn't even in the picture then,'' Mr. Mann said in a phone interview.

''The fact that I'm a Liberal and a member of the riding association doesn't mean I don't support other people as well.''

Mr. Mann's admission follows one from Barj Dhahan, who is also demanding a tax receipt for a $600 donation he made to Mr. Grewal in 2003, that Mr. Dhahan and his wife hosted a coffee-and-dessert party for Mr. Dosanjh during the last federal election.

Mr. Dhahan admitted that again yesterday, but said he is not a member of any federal party, including the Liberal party. He became a member of the B.C. Liberal Party, he said, when he understood that former Vancouver mayoral candidate Jennifer Clarke would be the Liberals' candidate in Vancouver-Langara.

Instead, Carole Taylor ran for the Liberals in that riding and is now B.C.'s Finance Minister.

''I'm not a Reform or Canadian Alliance,'' Mr. Dhahan said. ''I'm not a Liberal or an NDPer. The matter is very simple. All we want is for tax receipts to be given for the donations we made.''

He said he hosted the party for friends and neighbours in Mr. Dosanjh's Vancouver South riding simply as a way for them to get to know the now-Health Minister.

''People who came, they're not Liberals,'' he said. ''We went through our list of friends and people we know who live in that riding, and invited them. That's all we did.''

But B.C. Conservative MP John Reynolds says it sounds suspicious to him.

''It seems to me rather strange that these gentlemen, one who is a member of [Mr. Dosanjh's] riding association and the other who had a coffee party for Mr. Dosanjh, would all of a sudden come out with these accusations,'' Mr. Reynolds said.

The circumstances of all three donations -- none of which was reported to Elections Canada -- are now being investigated by the RCMP.

Mr. Grewal said in an earlier interview that he was not able to issue receipts for cheques made out to him personally because ''I do not have a charitable organization for Gurmant Grewal.'' He added Mr. Mann and Mr. Dhahan should have known that.

Both Mr. Mann and Mr. Dhahan reiterated yesterday that if it weren't for the fact that news of their donations was leaked to the media, the matter never would have been made public.

They also denied any involvement in a Liberal party plot to discredit Mr. Grewal.

''Mr. Dosanjh wasn't even in the picture when he started dealing with him [Grewal],'' Mr. Mann said.

''I have stated from the first day that there's no plot,'' Mr. Dhahan said. ''I'm not involved in a plot. I asked for a receipt. I was promised a receipt and it never came.''

July 14, 2005: Tory MP attacks Grewal's 'antics'

From the Globe and Mail:

Tory MP attacks Grewal's 'antics'
Surrey politician falls under renewed fire as Mounties interview campaign donors
By PETTI FONG
Thursday, July 14, 2005 Updated at 5:17 AM EDT
From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Vancouver — Gurmant Grewal has been cleared by the Conservative Party of wrongdoing but a continuing RCMP review into political contributions given to the Surrey MP and criticisms from a fellow MP and organizers continue to follow the controversial politician.

John Cummins, MP for the riding adjacent to Mr. Grewal's, said there was a clear mishandling of funds.

"Absolutely, no doubt, Mr. Grewal's antics have hurt the party," Mr. Cummins said on the Rafe Mair radio show. "When you start getting cheques made out to you personally, you're asking for trouble. Is that personal income or is that money going to the constituency association? If it's personal income, is it money being used to influence you and the decisions you make?"

Conservative MP John Reynolds, chair of the national campaign, said Mr. Grewal has been targeted because the MP tried to discredit the Liberals with his allegations they tried to recruit him to join their party.

RCMP officers interviewed one of the two men yesterday who say they did not receive tax receipts for political contributions they made to Mr. Grewal in late 2003 and the Conservative party has told them there is no record of the money they donated.

The contributors say that Mr. Grewal asked them to make the cheques out to him personally and assured them they would get a receipt for the $600 each donated.

The Conservatives and Mr. Grewal say the contributors are not entitled to a tax receipt under current legislation. It wasn't until January, 2004, that parties were required to give tax receipts.

"In those days [before the changes], every MP received cheques for their nominations or when they were between elections that did not qualify for tax receipts."

Mr. Cummins, the MP for Delta-Richmond East, said he has always had contributions made out to his constituency association, and Vancouver Island North Conservative MP John Duncan said he has never received cheques from donors made out to him.

"I've never done that because I never even thought of doing it. I knew it was allowed under the rules, but I just wanted to stay away from it. I thought it made it much easier to explain if everything was clearly in the constituency association account," Mr. Duncan said.

Mr. Duncan said the Conservative Party has addressed most of the concerns about the cheques that donors say they sent without getting a receipt.

Four of the cheques did not qualify for a tax receipt, a fifth was given an official receipt, and Mr. Duncan said mystery surrounds a sixth cheque made out to Mr. Grewal. Although the back of the cheque shows a deposit in Vancouver with Mr. Grewal's signature, the Conservatives have records that clearly show the Surrey MP was in Ottawa that day, Mr. Duncan said.

New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby MP Paul Forseth said Mr. Grewal, who was not talking to reporters yesterday, has been cleared in every allegation of wrongdoing in the past.

"He has tried to do everything properly," Mr. Forseth said. "The Liberals keep trying to make him look bad and they keep stirring things up."

Mr. Grewal also received support from Don McCrimmon, president of the Langley Conservatives riding association, and Menno Froese, president of the Abbotsford riding association.

"What it does reflect is how easy it is to take away the focus from where the issues really are," Mr. McCrimmon said.

Mr. Froese, whose riding includes a large and growing politically influential Indo-Canadian population, said the issue has dominated discussions within the Indo-Canadian community.

"Mr. Grewal is four constituencies away from our constituency, and it hasn't been an active issue among supporters here," Mr. Froese said. "But I hear that it's quite controversial on the Indo-Canadian radio shows."

Manjit Dhillon, who is also on the Abbotsford riding executive and an organizer among the Indo-Canadian community in the Fraser Valley, said Conservative Party members have told him they want quicker action from Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

"We are tired of seeing every few days something popping up involving Gurmant Grewal. There are 300 MPs, why does everything have to involve Mr. Grewal? For the community and the party's sake, we hope to stop seeing that," Mr. Dhillon said. "We also want Mr. Harper to be more decisive about whether he is supporting Mr. Grewal or not."

For more on Grewal and the Grewal tapes, see Buckets of Grewal.

The Now on Grewal's campaign finance

Gurmant Grewal in new pickle

Brooke Larsen

Now Contributor

Trouble has reared its ugly head again for Gurmant Grewal.

Two Vancouver men say they made donations to Grewal's 2004 re-election campaign, but didn't receive receipts.

Barj Dhahan said he made a $600 donation to Grewal's campaign in December 2003, and has since phoned Grewal's office numerous times asking for a receipt.

"I gave him the donation but I didn't get the receipt. I don't think that's acceptable," he said.

Sarup Mann, who also made a donation to Grewal, said he called the MP several times asking for a receipt but got nowhere.

Mann said that in 2003 he handed Grewal a cheque for $600 for his campaign, and in July 2004 he gave Grewal another $1,800 cheque for Nina Grewal's campaign.

But the Newton-North Delta MP says both men asked if they could make their cheques out to Grewal personally, not to his campaign, so that their names would not appear on lists of campaign supporters, which are public information.

"They didn't want to be associated with my campaign or the party, so they made the cheque out to me, Gurmant Grewal," he said.

Grewal says he took the cheques, endorsed them, and used them to pay for a party at the Grand Taj, a Surrey banquet hall.

"The cheques were used for a Gurmant Grewal appreciation party - for food, the banquet hall, the entertainment."

Grewal said he wasn't required to issue receipts to Mann and Dhahan because their donations were made before the official start of the campaign period.

According to Elections Canada' s website, candidates are required to issue receipts to all donors, but only after their candidacy is confirmed.

But Grewal may have violated another campaign rule.

In a section titled "Important reminders for candidates and their official agents," the Elections Canada website says all candidates should "ensure that all money is first deposited into the campaign bank account."

Grewal said the cheque made out to Nina Grewal's campaign was deposited in the campaign account, but that the receipt got lost.

Neither Dhahan's nor Mann's names showed up on the Elections Canada lists of contributors to Nina and Gurmant Grewal's campaigns.

Grewal is also being investigated by police and a parliamentary ethics commissioner for taping his conversations with the federal finance minister and an aid to Prime Minister Paul Martin.

posted on 07/13/2005

Vancouver Sun: "Donations Legal:Grewal"

Donations legal: Grewal

Donations legal: Grewal
Controversial Conservative MP says cheques were made out to him directly because donors were 'shy'

Jonathan Fowlie
Vancouver Sun

Newton-North Delta MP Gurmant Grewal said Tuesday that cheques made out to him personally were within Elections Canada guidelines.


Surrey Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal says he did not break any laws or campaign rules by accepting donations that are now being investigated by the RCMP.

Grewal released copies of the controversial donation cheques at his office Tuesday -- two $600 cheques that were made out to Grewal personally and a third cheque for $1,800 that was made out to his wife Nina's political campaign -- and defended his reasons for taking the personal cheques without giving receipts or reporting the donations to Elections Canada.

"If he [Barj Dhahan, the man who wrote one of the controversial cheques] wanted a receipt, he could have made it to the [constituency association]," Grewal said.

Explaining why Dhahan wrote one of the cheques directly to him and not to the association, Grewal said: "He was shy and he chose to do that because then his allegiance to the Canadian Alliance would not be made public."

He said the second donor, Sarup Mann gave the same reason for writing a cheque directly to him.

Grewal said he is not able to issue receipts for cheques written directly to him because "I do not have a charitable organization for Gurmant Grewal," and added that Dhahan and Mann should have known that.

Dhahan and Mann came forward this month, saying they each made $600 campaign contributions directly to Grewal in December 2003, and that neither of them have received proper receipts.

Photocopies of the cancelled cheques released Tuesday show that Grewal, MP for Newton-North Delta, endorsed the cheques, and that the cheques had been deposited and cleared.

Grewal said he did not put the money into his personal account, but handed it over to the Grand Taj Banquet Hall to help pay for an appreciation dinner being held in his honour. No one could be reached Tuesday at the Grand Taj.

Grewal also said that under guidelines set out by Elections Canada at the time he took the donations, it was not against the rules to accept a cheque made out directly to him without reporting it.

"When he gave this cheque, it was outside the campaign period," Grewal said. "At that time there was no requirement [by] Elections Canada to issue a receipt."

While defending the cheques, Grewal added there "could be some more" cheques that were made out to him personally, but that he did not know for sure.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Tom Seaman confirmed Tuesday that police are "reviewing information to ascertain if any laws have been broken" with regards to the donations, but said he could not speak about specifics.

Asked about the police investigation, Grewal replied: "Let them do their job. I have nothing to hide."

In regards to the donation made to his wife's campaign, Grewal acknowledged a receipt should have been issued for the $1,800 cheque, and said the error was "simply an oversight on the part of a volunteer who was supposed to issue a receipt."

Reached Tuesday, Dhahan took issue with Grewal's version of events, saying the Surrey MP had specifically requested his cheque not be made to the riding association, and that Grewal had promised a receipt would be issued for the donation.

"I do not make personal gifts to people," Dhahan said, explaining Grewal asked the cheque be made out in his own name because he was not yet certain where he was planning to run.

"I gave him the money on the understanding that the party he represents would give me a receipt," he said.

" 'A receipt will be issued.' Those were his words."

Mann could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Grewal said he does not recall promising Dhahan a receipt, and accused Dhahan and Mann of being part of a Liberal "smear campaign."

In May, Grewal released secretly recorded tapes that he said show Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, and Prime Minister Paul Martin's chief of staff were trying to entice him across the floor before a crucial budget vote.

He said he believes Dhahan and Mann have ties to Ujjal Dosanjh, and said that they have come forward as part of a larger attempt to discredit his reputation.

"Once they [the Liberals] are caught on tape, they are trying to smear my reputation," Grewal said. "This is completely a smear campaign."

Dhahan denied the allegation. He said he has hosted an event at his house for Dosanjh, but that he does not know him personally, and is not tied to him politically.

"I'm not out here for some personal grudge or vendetta against Mr. Grewal," Dhahan said. "I have nothing to gain from anyone."

Letter of Jim Holt (President of Grewal's Riding Association) to Terry Milewski, CBC

July 11, 2005 To: Terry Milewski, CBC Vancouver From: Jim Holt, President Newton North Delta EDA, Conservative Party of Canada.
Verification Information re Six Cheques that Mr. Milewski is investigating.

Reference our discussions of the past three business days, our EDA has been tracking down information on a total of six cheques that have come to your attention as a reporter with CBC.
Given the time lines associated with these items, it hasn't been as difficult as we had first anticipated regarding re-constructing information on these items. One just had to make contact with the appropriate persons, and the task became quite easy actually. In examining this matter, we have found that rather than focus on each cheque, we should perhaps focus on the donor.

This way we feel a picture of just what we feel is going on starts to become a whole lot clearer.

Firstly, we have a Mr. Kandola, who for some reason contacted you (or was referred to you by others) to indicate that he hadn't seemed to have received a receipt for a $200. political donation. To your credit Terry, and we thank you for saving us some time, you yourself were able to determine by examining public Elections Canada records that his cheque was indeed properly receipted. But I guess a question we have back to Mr. Kandola, via you, is just why did he make such a claim in the first place, and why was he in apparent error re the veracity of his claim?

Next we have a Mr. Dhahan. Here we have a person who in addition to attending a political dinner for Gurmant Grewal back in December of 2003 (two thousand three) happens also to be a good friend of Ujjal Dosanjh. And Mr. Dhahan, nearly one and half years after a cheque was written and cleared, is now asking for a receipt for his "donation". In checking this one out, we have determined that the item was countersigned over to The Grand Taj Hall in Surrey to help pay for the dinner, it cleared through their bank, and then presumably went back to Mr. Dhahan's.

We trust that someone is asking (or perhaps maybe someone will be asking) Mr. Dhahan to explain why an event that occurred some time in the distant past didn't seem to need a receipt then, but does now. It would also be interesting to determine if this item was an "outstanding item" in accounting terms, and we guess that only a formal examination of Mr. Dhahan's Income Tax records would determine if this item had been in fact processed as a normal business expense for either 2003 (when the cheque was written), or in 2004 (when the item cleared the bank), or can it indeed be demonstrated by Mr. Dhahan or his auditors that this payment has been kept on his books as an unresolved item all these many months (and through at least one Income tax cycle). For if this item had indeed already been processed in accounting terms, then the accuracy and substance of Mr. Dhahan's claims to you will represent an entirely different legal matter altogether.

Next we have a Mr. Mann. As backgrounder on this complainant, it is a well-known fact that he is a very good friend of Ujjal Dosanjh. So good a friend is he of Mr. Dosanjh that just after the Taping Incident became public, and Mr., Dosanjh's central and principle role in that event became known to the public, Mr. Mann telephoned Mr. Grewal and voiced extreme displeasure with Mr. Grewal's actions. And then just a few short weeks later, up pops a complaint relayed to you regarding two cheques. Mann has provided you with two items, one for $1800. and another for $600. In the matter of the item for $600., our research shows that this item followed the same pattern as Mr. Dhahan's above. Namely, it was used to help pay for the December 2003 dinner, this cheque cleared in nearly identical fashion to that of Mr. Dhahan's, and all of the above questions must be asked of Mr. Mann.

Regarding the cheque in the amount of $1800. our research shows that this cheque was made payable to the Nina Grewal Campaign. This item represents the approximate cash value of the telephone call centre system Mr. Mann supplied to be used by both the Gurmant and Nina Grewal campaigns in June 2004. The reverse of that cheque clearly shows it was properly endorsed by the Registered Agent for Nina Grewal, and deposited to the EDA account. The lack of receipt on this account appears to be a simple clerical error related to the change in volunteer Registered Agents for the Fleetwood-Port Kells campaign. The new Registered Agent assumed his predecessor had issued all official receipts up to the time of the changeover. Our investigation indicates that all of the paperwork and reports are correct, and an official receipt will be issued to Mr. Mann forthwith. (On a perhaps embarrassing note, this sort of thing does happen from time to time, given the large number of items processed by volunteers during a campaign, but we do try to do our best)

This brings us to the Imperial Plumbing cheque in the amount of $1000. Here we must admit we are a bit stumped, not the least due to the fact that the copy of the cheque you forwarded to us doesn't appear to have been endorsed by anyone on the reverse, and the cheque seems to have been cleared at the Khalsa Credit Union the same day it was drawn. Equally baffling is the fact the item was processed at a branch of that credit union about 20 miles from where the cheque was prepared. We are even more baffled by this one, when we examine the date the transaction(s) occurred. Our research indicates that on that date, Mr. Grewal was in Ottawa, and either in his office, or in the House of Commons ("Hansard" can actually verify this).

[Cheque shown at top of page]

This would place Mr. Grewal at a considerable, and verifiable distance from where this cheque was issued, which would have made it remarkably difficult for him to have cashed this cheque made payable to him personally.

This leaves us with the Jas Atwal cheque in the amount of $500. made out to Gurmant Grewal and dated January 14, 2003, which was subsequently deposited into Mr. Grewal's personal account in February of 2003. This cheque is perhaps the most vexing, and infuriating one from our perspective. In investigating this one, we have determined that this cheque had nothing whatsoever to do with politics, or with so-called political donations. Nothing whatsoever! This cheque was countersigned over to Mr. Grewal for a portion of a small private business debt owed to him by a Mr. Gill, who among other things is a respected individual in the Indo Canadian Community. He is also a journalist, and owner of Surrey media outlet "Radio India".

Mr. Gill is prepared to provide a record of the Atwal debt owed to him, and also a sworn statement attesting to the fact that the Atwal cheque was in fact countersigned over to Mr. Grewal for a small and entirely unrelated (to Mr. Atwal) private debt. Further, Mr. Grewal is adamant that the words "For Fund Raiser" which appear on the memo line of this cheque must have been added at a later date (which would be ever so easy to do, and with the actual cheque in the right formal investigative hands, would also be ever so easy to verify). Notwithstanding the fact this item is over two years old, to make a claim that it was a political donation takes us right back up to the hard questions that should be asked of Mr. Mann and Mr. Dhahan.

To conclude, we very much have appreciated the time you have given us in which we could examine the above items, and we trust in turn that you will reciprocally appreciate the time and effort (most of it from committed volunteers) that we have put into providing the answers you have been seeking. We trust that our answers have given you much in the way of additional information, and as is often the case, additional questions to ponder.

We would like to conclude with two important thoughts though. The first is that the common denominator in all of the above is not so much the matter of missing receipts, but rather the fact that loyalty to Ujjal Dosanjh figured large, and often, in our inquiries. This is perhaps not surprising at all, given it is the Liberal Party's sworn intention to do everything it can to deflect attention away from Mr. Ujjal Dosanjh by attempting to shoot the messenger (that would be our Member of parliament) at every opportunity. Even the most flimsy of claims against Mr. Grewal are trotted out in the achievement of the goal of shielding Mr. Dosanjh from additional, or centre-stage scrutiny. We have heard for some time now that there would be a challenge to Mr. Grewal in the form of cheques. Given what we have seen with the above six items, we feel that the strategy of the Liberals will continue, as will our ability to defend our MP.

In addition, our experience during the examination of these items also leaves us with the knowledge of the profound vulnerability of ANY public official who at some later date might have completely logical personal financial transactions dragged out into the public arena. Events turn, opinions change, or agendas are unleashed, and all of a sudden seemingly mundane financial transactions become potential problems (the Atwal item above is the best/worst of the preceding six in this regard). Given this vulnerability, it is incumbent that those investigating such claims must ask all of the pertinent questions of those doing the complaining. It is likely that in a formal legal forum, each of the above claims would have received short shrift (at best) from those doing the examining and in a worst case, were there Audited and/or Income Tax records indicating facts to the contrary, then those doing the complaining would find themselves in quite a bit more trouble than just having to say "Oops, I'm so sorry. I guess that wasn't a political donation after all".

July 11, 2005: Holt writes to Milewski about cheques

July 11, 2005 To: Terry Milewski, CBC Vancouver From: Jim Holt, President Newton North Delta EDA, Conservative Party of Canada.
Verification Information re Six Cheques that Mr. Milewski is investigating.

Reference our discussions of the past three business days, our EDA has been tracking down information on a total of six cheques that have come to your attention as a reporter with CBC.
Given the time lines associated with these items, it hasn't been as difficult as we had first anticipated regarding re-constructing information on these items. One just had to make contact with the appropriate persons, and the task became quite easy actually. In examining this matter, we have found that rather than focus on each cheque, we should perhaps focus on the donor.

This way we feel a picture of just what we feel is going on starts to become a whole lot clearer.

Firstly, we have a Mr. Kandola, who for some reason contacted you (or was referred to you by others) to indicate that he hadn't seemed to have received a receipt for a $200. political donation. To your credit Terry, and we thank you for saving us some time, you yourself were able to determine by examining public Elections Canada records that his cheque was indeed properly receipted. But I guess a question we have back to Mr. Kandola, via you, is just why did he make such a claim in the first place, and why was he in apparent error re the veracity of his claim?

Next we have a Mr. Dhahan. Here we have a person who in addition to attending a political dinner for Gurmant Grewal back in December of 2003 (two thousand three) happens also to be a good friend of Ujjal Dosanjh. And Mr. Dhahan, nearly one and half years after a cheque was written and cleared, is now asking for a receipt for his "donation". In checking this one out, we have determined that the item was countersigned over to The Grand Taj Hall in Surrey to help pay for the dinner, it cleared through their bank, and then presumably went back to Mr. Dhahan's.

We trust that someone is asking (or perhaps maybe someone will be asking) Mr. Dhahan to explain why an event that occurred some time in the distant past didn't seem to need a receipt then, but does now. It would also be interesting to determine if this item was an "outstanding item" in accounting terms, and we guess that only a formal examination of Mr. Dhahan's Income Tax records would determine if this item had been in fact processed as a normal business expense for either 2003 (when the cheque was written), or in 2004 (when the item cleared the bank), or can it indeed be demonstrated by Mr. Dhahan or his auditors that this payment has been kept on his books as an unresolved item all these many months (and through at least one Income tax cycle). For if this item had indeed already been processed in accounting terms, then the accuracy and substance of Mr. Dhahan's claims to you will represent an entirely different legal matter altogether.

Next we have a Mr. Mann. As backgrounder on this complainant, it is a well-known fact that he is a very good friend of Ujjal Dosanjh. So good a friend is he of Mr. Dosanjh that just after the Taping Incident became public, and Mr., Dosanjh's central and principle role in that event became known to the public, Mr. Mann telephoned Mr. Grewal and voiced extreme displeasure with Mr. Grewal's actions. And then just a few short weeks later, up pops a complaint relayed to you regarding two cheques. Mann has provided you with two items, one for $1800. and another for $600. In the matter of the item for $600., our research shows that this item followed the same pattern as Mr. Dhahan's above. Namely, it was used to help pay for the December 2003 dinner, this cheque cleared in nearly identical fashion to that of Mr. Dhahan's, and all of the above questions must be asked of Mr. Mann.

Regarding the cheque in the amount of $1800. our research shows that this cheque was made payable to the Nina Grewal Campaign. This item represents the approximate cash value of the telephone call centre system Mr. Mann supplied to be used by both the Gurmant and Nina Grewal campaigns in June 2004. The reverse of that cheque clearly shows it was properly endorsed by the Registered Agent for Nina Grewal, and deposited to the EDA account. The lack of receipt on this account appears to be a simple clerical error related to the change in volunteer Registered Agents for the Fleetwood-Port Kells campaign. The new Registered Agent assumed his predecessor had issued all official receipts up to the time of the changeover. Our investigation indicates that all of the paperwork and reports are correct, and an official receipt will be issued to Mr. Mann forthwith. (On a perhaps embarrassing note, this sort of thing does happen from time to time, given the large number of items processed by volunteers during a campaign, but we do try to do our best)

This brings us to the Imperial Plumbing cheque in the amount of $1000. Here we must admit we are a bit stumped, not the least due to the fact that the copy of the cheque you forwarded to us doesn't appear to have been endorsed by anyone on the reverse, and the cheque seems to have been cleared at the Khalsa Credit Union the same day it was drawn. Equally baffling is the fact the item was processed at a branch of that credit union about 20 miles from where the cheque was prepared. We are even more baffled by this one, when we examine the date the transaction(s) occurred. Our research indicates that on that date, Mr. Grewal was in Ottawa, and either in his office, or in the House of Commons ("Hansard" can actually verify this).

[Cheque shown at top of page]

This would place Mr. Grewal at a considerable, and verifiable distance from where this cheque was issued, which would have made it remarkably difficult for him to have cashed this cheque made payable to him personally.

This leaves us with the Jas Atwal cheque in the amount of $500. made out to Gurmant Grewal and dated January 14, 2003, which was subsequently deposited into Mr. Grewal's personal account in February of 2003. This cheque is perhaps the most vexing, and infuriating one from our perspective. In investigating this one, we have determined that this cheque had nothing whatsoever to do with politics, or with so-called political donations. Nothing whatsoever! This cheque was countersigned over to Mr. Grewal for a portion of a small private business debt owed to him by a Mr. Gill, who among other things is a respected individual in the Indo Canadian Community. He is also a journalist, and owner of Surrey media outlet "Radio India".

Mr. Gill is prepared to provide a record of the Atwal debt owed to him, and also a sworn statement attesting to the fact that the Atwal cheque was in fact countersigned over to Mr. Grewal for a small and entirely unrelated (to Mr. Atwal) private debt. Further, Mr. Grewal is adamant that the words "For Fund Raiser" which appear on the memo line of this cheque must have been added at a later date (which would be ever so easy to do, and with the actual cheque in the right formal investigative hands, would also be ever so easy to verify). Notwithstanding the fact this item is over two years old, to make a claim that it was a political donation takes us right back up to the hard questions that should be asked of Mr. Mann and Mr. Dhahan.

To conclude, we very much have appreciated the time you have given us in which we could examine the above items, and we trust in turn that you will reciprocally appreciate the time and effort (most of it from committed volunteers) that we have put into providing the answers you have been seeking. We trust that our answers have given you much in the way of additional information, and as is often the case, additional questions to ponder.

We would like to conclude with two important thoughts though. The first is that the common denominator in all of the above is not so much the matter of missing receipts, but rather the fact that loyalty to Ujjal Dosanjh figured large, and often, in our inquiries. This is perhaps not surprising at all, given it is the Liberal Party's sworn intention to do everything it can to deflect attention away from Mr. Ujjal Dosanjh by attempting to shoot the messenger (that would be our Member of parliament) at every opportunity. Even the most flimsy of claims against Mr. Grewal are trotted out in the achievement of the goal of shielding Mr. Dosanjh from additional, or centre-stage scrutiny. We have heard for some time now that there would be a challenge to Mr. Grewal in the form of cheques. Given what we have seen with the above six items, we feel that the strategy of the Liberals will continue, as will our ability to defend our MP.

In addition, our experience during the examination of these items also leaves us with the knowledge of the profound vulnerability of ANY public official who at some later date might have completely logical personal financial transactions dragged out into the public arena. Events turn, opinions change, or agendas are unleashed, and all of a sudden seemingly mundane financial transactions become potential problems (the Atwal item above is the best/worst of the preceding six in this regard). Given this vulnerability, it is incumbent that those investigating such claims must ask all of the pertinent questions of those doing the complaining. It is likely that in a formal legal forum, each of the above claims would have received short shrift (at best) from those doing the examining and in a worst case, were there Audited and/or Income Tax records indicating facts to the contrary, then those doing the complaining would find themselves in quite a bit more trouble than just having to say "Oops, I'm so sorry. I guess that wasn't a political donation after all".

July 9, 2005: Grewal hands over more tapes to RCMP--Police probe extended

Grewal hands over more tapes to RCMP
Police probe extended

Simon Doyle
CanWest News Service

July 9, 2005

OTTAWA - Embattled Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal handed over additional tapes to the RCMP within the past two weeks, a move that suggests the recorded talks between himself and senior Liberals that he had earlier made public were incomplete.

Mr. Grewal made recordings available in late May that showed he had been in talks with Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Tim Murphy, Prime Minister Paul Martin's chief of staff, about exchanging rewards, such as a Cabinet post or Senate seat, for crossing the floor or abstaining from key confidence votes.

At the time, the Conservatives insisted Mr. Grewal had handed over "all of the tapes" to Opposition leader Stephen Harper, and the party posted "the complete audio file" on to Mr. Grewal's Web site for public scrutiny. The party also said it would give the tapes to the RCMP.

However, the RCMP says it has received new tapes that will extend the original timeline of its review of the affair.

"We have received additional tapes from the previous tapes that we had," Sergeant Gilles Deziel said. The RCMP received the first batch on June 1, he said, one day after Mr. Grewal made the recordings available on his Web site. The police force said it received the newest batch of tapes within the past two weeks.

Mr. Grewal, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Dosanjh, now under investigation by ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro, are also under the scope of the RCMP to determine whether the matter deserves a formal investigation for possible violations of anti-bribery measures under the Criminal Code.

The Liberals have cried foul over the recordings, pointing to the comments of audio experts who said they had been edited.

"If true, it certainly serves to highlight the cautious, careful wisdom of Mr. Harper that the tapes were pristine, complete and unaltered," Scott Reid, Paul Martin's communications director, wrote in an e-mail. "We look forward to the release of the director's cut."

Mr. Grewal says the government tried to lure him into abstaining or crossing the floor, but the Liberals say it was Mr. Grewal who approached them first, looking for rewards.

The RCMP would not confirm whether the additional tapes were recordings of a May 16 meeting with Mr. Dosanjh, which Mr. Grewal has alluded to but has never been released, and which the Conservatives say was not recorded.

Nor would the RCMP confirm whether the new tapes were those that one witness alleged Mr. Grewal tried to give to an airline passenger to transport from Vancouver to Ottawa in early June.

NDP MP Pat Martin said the senior ranks of the Conservative party have to take responsibility for Mr. Grewal's actions because Mr. Harper and Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay stood up for him, even after experts said the tapes were edited. Mr. Harper also supported Mr. Grewal's move to take a stress leave from the House in early June.

"The CPC [Conservative Party of Canada] had a choice. They could hang Grewal out to dry, or they could rally around him," Mr. Martin said.

"The party leadership has to answer for this now. It ceased to become just one rogue MP's responsibility when the party sent him home on stress leave and assumed responsibility for the file."

Support for Mr. Grewal within the Conservative party appeared to wane last month, however.

William Stairs, a Tory communications strategist, said he had not heard of any additional tapes, and said he cannot comment until the RCMP finishes its work.

"I don't know anything about what's going on about Gurmant, his lawyers and the RCMP," Mr. Stairs said.

Conservative campaign chairman John Reynolds recently told CanWest News Service that he expects Mr. Grewal to be cleared of any wrongdoing after the RCMP and the ethics commissioner are through with their investigations.

Grewal votes in house: receives standing ovation from Conservative MPs

Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal (left) receives a standing ovation from fellow MP's after voting on extending debate on C-48 in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa Thursday, June 23.(CP/Tom Hanson)

June 22, 2005: Ethics Commisioner clears Grewal on visa bonds controversy

940 News

Ethics commissioner clears Gurmant Grewal in immigration case at 19:15 on June 22, 2005, EST.

OTTAWA (CP) - Gurmant Grewal's only sin was having a bad idea. The Tory MP was cleared Wednesday of ethical wrongdoing for setting up a parallel immigration system in his B.C. constituency office. People came to his office and posted bonds of up to $100,000 in exchange for visitors' visas for friends or family. At least 232 people signed written guarantees to make that payment if their loved ones lingered in Canada past the visa expiry date.

Parliament's ethics commissioner slammed the scheme as a misguided error in judgment that may have appeared like a conflict of interest. But Bernard Shapiro defended Grewal's character. He said the Tory MP had honest intentions, never planned to pocket any money, and in fact never collected a cent.

"There was no real conflict of interest," said Shapiro's report, released Wednesday. "No personal profit to Mr. Grewal was either intended or realized. . . . I believe that his actions were an error in judgment made in good faith."

It was the latest piece of good news in recent days for Grewal after a brutal month that forced him to take a stress leave. He is embroiled in a separate scandal after he released tapes of secret negotiations with two senior Liberals and the tapes were found to be partly altered.

Transport Canada has cleared Grewal following an incident at Vancouver airport that originally caused him to take his stress leave. He tried using other passengers to ship the controversial tapes back to Ottawa. Grewal has remained out of the public eye since then, and did not respond to a request for an interview Wednesday.

But he said in a statement that he had always maintained his innocence since the immigration allegations first surfaced.

His riding president now says Grewal's feeling well enough to return to work.

Immigration Minister Joe Volpe had asked the ethics commissioner and the RCMP to investigate the bond-posting scheme in April.

"I believe that the ethics commissioner's report speaks for itself," Grewal said in a statement.

"I am pleased that the ethics commissioner has looked into the matter and determined that the minister's allegations were baseless."

Grewal began his unusual practice in 2002, and has long lobbied for legislation that would allow Canadian residents to sponsor foreign visitors.

It was Grewal himself who revealed details of his scheme while promoting his own private member's bill to change immigration rules.

Shapiro said that the practice - "however innocently intended" - did not fall within the federal government's rules.

Volpe said he accepted Shapiro's findings. "I left it with the ethics commissioner to come up with a decision for us," he said in an interview. "He's done it and I'm going to respect that."

But he warned other MPs not to follow Grewal's example. "These things have the tendency to give off the appearance of conflict that's unhelpful to the parliamentary process."

It was the second high-profile ruling in Shapiro's brief tenure - and second in two days following months of silence from his office. The rookie commissioner faces a grilling before a parliamentary committee Thursday and the NDP is calling for his removal.

Critics jumped Shapiro's report this week on ex-immigration minister Judy Sgro, a piece of work that cost $170,000, took seven months to complete, and offered no clear verdict on how the government should have handled a scandal involving residence permits.