Angry in the Great White North

Consider that the findings in the Sgro report runs 11 pages, while the findings in the Grewal report cover only 2 pages. While the Sgro findings dance around one issue and another, and frankly are confusing, the findings in the Grewal report are clear and concise.

And no clever titles! The Sgro Report had a cover that looked like a Piet Mondrian piece and the poetic title "Many Shades of Grey". Adam Radwanski expected the Grewal Report to be called "Shades of Beige", but thankfully it was given the much more pedestrian and descriptive title "The Grewal Inquiry".

It's almost as if the report was written by a different person entirely.

But to the conclusions themselves. The bottom line is that Gurmant Grewal never actually, or intended to, keep the money he held as bonds against the return of people who held temporary visas he helped to get. His private member's bill C-283 attempts to formalize the practice.

Having absolved Mr. Grewal of actual conflict of interest, the conclusions makes other powerful and effective statements.

The administration of immigration policy is the responsibility of the minister and not of individual MPs. The same rule can be applied to any attempt by an MP to implement any unsanctioned pseudo-legal requirements on constituents. Any MP with a bright idea like this one now knows that he or she must work first to gain formal permission from the minister in charge.

The reason that this must be the case is that there were ambiguities in the home-grown scheme Mr. Grewal came up with, ambiguities that left some people confused. Depending on the interpretation, there was an appearance of a conflict of interest. Mr. Grewal must be held to account for that appearance of conflict.

Finally, the commissioner uses his discretion under 28(5) to recommend that no sanctions be imposed on Mr. Grewal, given the commissioner's firm belief that no attempt to profit personally, nor to sell influence, was intended.

Total cost of this clear and concise report? $11,690.68

One tenth the cost of the Sgro report, ten times clearer. Now that's government efficiency.