Tories
to release Grewal tapes to RCMP
Gurmant Grewal tells reporters he was offered a Liberal
diplomatic
post or a Senate seat for his wife.
Ottawa, May 31, 2005
Canadian Press
A compilation of politically tantalizing taped discussions
will be made public, turned over to the RCMP and has
piqued the interest of Parliament's ethics watchdog.
The Conservatives will release transcripts Tuesday
from hours of closed-door discussions between a Tory
MP and top officials in the Liberal government.
NRI, B.C. MP Gurmant Grewal secretly recorded up
to four hours of backroom talks with Prime Minister
Paul Martin's top aide Tim Murphy and Health Minister
Ujjal Dosanjh.
The tapes could contain political and legal dynamite.
''It will be turned over to the RCMP,'' said a senior
Conservative official.
''It's coming out today (before 2 p.m.)''
The office of ethics commissioner Bernard Shapiro
also wants to see transcript conversations, which
took place in the days before a crucial confidence
vote two weeks ago when a Tory effort to bring down
the government failed.
In an eight-minute snippet already made public, PMO
chief of staff Tim Murphy is overheard counselling
Grewal on how to skip the vote and explain his absence
as a matter of principle.
Murphy also indicates a willingness to negotiate
a possible reward later for Grewal and his wife, Nina,
also an MP.
Grewal said he and his wife were offered cabinet
positions and diplomatic appointments in exchange
for their co-operation.
Murphy and Dosanjh say Grewal repeatedly asked them
for a job and that they refused to offer one. Murphy
denies any wrongdoing and has hired a lawyer.
The NDP and Bloc Quebecois want the RCMP to investigate.
The NDP has also asked the ethics commissioner to
weigh in.
Observers have also asked whether the discussions
on the tape violate anti-corruption provisions in
the Criminal Code.
One thing is clear: the Tories will use the tapes
to hammer Prime Minister Paul Martin.
In particular, they will point to his repeated insistence
that he was unaware of any job offer to Grewal.
But the tape will demonstrate that Martin was willing
to sit down and chat with Grewal, said a Tory official.
''The issue here is the prime minister's credibility,''
the official said.
''He said he knew nothing. . . Then why was he willing
to meet with (Grewal)?''
