Question Period on Grewal

Several questions were asked in Parliament yesterday about Grewal and his tapes.

• Duceppe asked the PM to confirm that it was Murphy who was on the tape; PM answered that no deal was made.
• Michel Guimond (BQ of Montmorency-etc.) noted that the tape records Murphy saying 'we can make an arrangement to that allows you to move' and asked the PM to acknowledge that this was a breach of s. 119 of the criminal code. Tony Valeri answered that the matter is being considered by the Parliamentary Ethics Commissioner.
• Guimond also asked why Murphy had not resigned while the matter was investigated. PM answered that no deal was made.
• Jack Layton asked PM why the government had not launched an RCMP investigation. PM answered that it was not the government's role to launch such an investigation. He called on Grewal to release the full takes.

It's noteworthy, I think, that it is the BQ and NDP who are pressing this issue, which has the advantage for them of being embarrassing to both the Liberals and the Conservatives. Why are the conservatives silent? If there were something really incriminating on those tapes, the Conservatives would be laying traps--getting the government to make some statement that the tapes disprove. (Gotcha!)

[ed.: slightly revised]