Rajvinder Grewal (born September 11, 1985) is a former Canadian politician who represented the riding of Brampton East in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019. Elected as a Liberal in the 2015 Canadian federal election,[2][3] he resigned from caucus in 2018 after a police investigation into his extensive gambling debts, and did not stand in the 2019 Canadian federal election. In September 2020, he was charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for breach of trust and fraud over $5,000.[4]
Raj Grewal | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Brampton East | |
| In office October 19, 2015 – September 11, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bal Gosal |
| Succeeded by | Maninder Sidhu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 11, 1985 Calgary, Alberta |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal (2015-2018) |
| Spouse | Shikha Kasal[1] |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Brampton, Ontario |
| Alma mater | Wilfrid Laurier University (BBA) Schulich School of Business, York University (MBA) Osgoode Hall Law School (JD) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Before politics
editThe son of an airport cab driver,[5] Grewal attended Wilfrid Laurier University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business, and then completed an MBA at York University's Schulich School of Business and a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to his legal studies he worked as a financial analyst, while after becoming a lawyer he specialized in mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance on Bay Street.[6]
Federal politics
editGrewal's nomination to represent the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2015 election in Brampton East was attended by some controversy, as initial media reports indicated that a brawl took place at the nominating convention when several hundred members were denied the ability to vote. Police attended the scene in a crowd control capacity.[7] Liberal Party officials subsequently denied that there had been any fighting at the scene.[8]
In early 2018, the Ethics Commissioner launched an investigation into whether Grewal violated the conflict-of-interest code when he invited Yusuf Yenilmez, the head of Zgemi Inc., to multiple events during Justin Trudeau’s trip to India. Grewal had been paid by Zgemi Inc. for legal advice during the previous year.[9]
According to his most recent disclosure to the Ethics Commissioner, Grewal had lines of credit with Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank and Bank of Nova Scotia, as well as the joint mortgage with HSBC Canada. In addition, Mr. Grewal disclosed that he had received employment income from Zgemi Inc. and a law firm called Gahir & Associates during his time in the House. Parliamentary rules do not require members of Parliament (MPs) to reveal the amounts they were paid, and there is no threshold for disclosure. Backbenchers are subject to fewer rules than ministers in terms of disclosure.[1]
Grewal was a member of the influential finance committee of the House of Commons, before being moved to the health committee in September 2018.[10][11]
Departure from Liberal caucus and legal issues
editGrewal announced on November 22, 2018 that he intended to resign as MP and was leaving federal politics for personal and medical reasons.[12] A statement released the next day by a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office clarified that Grewal was resigning to seek treatment for problem gambling which had "led him to incur significant personal debts."[13] Grewal reportedly gambled millions of dollars between 2015 and 2018, including at the Casino du Lac-Leamy.[10] The casino's disclosure to FINTRAC then led to an RCMP investigation.[10]
In a statement on November 26, 2018 the Office of the Ethics Commissioner said its investigation "will continue as soon as possible in spite of [Grewal’s] resignation." In its official comment the week before, the Prime Minister’s Office said it was aware "of inquiries by the RCMP regarding the circumstances that were the subject of a complaint to the Ethics Commissioner about Mr. Grewal earlier this year." The RCMP's national division would not confirm or deny that it is investigating Grewal.[1]
On November 30, 2018, Grewal announced that he was quitting the Liberal caucus but would keep his seat in the House of Commons "for the time being."[14] In a December 2018 Facebook video, Grewal said that in a three-year period at Lac-Leamy, playing recreational blackjack became a high-stakes gambling problem, which led him to incur high levels of debt that he kept hidden from his family. Grewal claimed that he only borrowed money from loved ones in a legal manner.[15] On January 25, 2019, he announced that he would keep his seat in parliament as an Independent MP until the next federal election in October.[16] Grewal did not stand for re-election in the 2019 federal election.[15]
In September 2020, Grewal was charged by the RCMP with four counts of breach of trust and one count of fraud over $5,000 under the Criminal Code. The RCMP allege that Grewal received millions in personal loans that he neglected to report to the Ethics Commissioner, which would constitute a criminal breach of trust. The RCMP also allege that Grewal misused his constituency office budget for personal use and solicited loans that personally benefited him in connection with using his office as an MP.[15] In March 2023, the last charges against Grewal were dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court.[17]
In February 2024, Grewal sued the RCMP and the Ontario attorney general for $50 million over their alleged mishandling of the case.[18]
Electoral record
edit| 2015 Canadian federal election: Brampton East | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Raj Grewal | 23,652 | 52.32 | 21.67 | $149,172.33 | |||
| Conservative | Naval Bajaj | 10,642 | 23.54 | -5.94 | $189,039.82 | |||
| New Democratic | Harbaljit Singh Kahlon | 10,400 | 23.01 | -14.64 | – | |||
| Green | Kyle Lacroix | 512 | 1.13 | -0.57 | $144.64 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 45,206 | 100.00 | $201,381.89 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 304 | 0.67 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 45,510 | 67.20 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 67,721 | |||||||
| Liberal notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | 18.15 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[19][20] | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "RCMP probed former Liberal MP Raj Grewal's gambling for months". November 27, 2018 – via www.theglobeandmail.com.
- ^ "Liberals win in Brampton East". thestar.com. 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
- ^ "19 Indian-Canadians elected to Canadian parliament". The Economic Times. 20 October 2015. Archived from the original on 11 November 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Gilmore, Rachel (September 11, 2020). "Former Liberal MP charged by RCMP with breach of trust and fraud". CTV News. Ottawa. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ Delacourt, Susan (February 25, 2018). "Brampton MP caught political bug on basketball court: Delacourt". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Meet Raj Grewal, Liberal.ca.
- ^ Ethan Lou, Brawl mars Brampton Liberal nomination, The Toronto Star, September 21, 2014.
- ^ Roger Belgrave, Liberal party says no fists thrown in Brampton East nomination battle, The Brampton Guardian, September 23, 2014.
- ^ Pinkerton, Charlie (December 7, 2018). "A timeline of the Raj Grewal scandal". iPolitics. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c Leblanc, Daniel; Hannay, Chris (November 28, 2018). "Raj Grewal queried federal agencies on ability to probe money laundering". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Leblanc, Daniel (27 November 2018). "RCMP probed former Liberal MP Raj Grewal's gambling for months". Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ "Liberal MP Raj Grewal quitting politics, citing 'personal and medical reasons'". CBC News. November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ Ballingall, Alex; MacCharles, Tonda (November 23, 2018). "PMO says Brampton MP Raj Grewal resigned after admitting to gambling problem and 'significant personal debts'". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "MP Raj Grewal remaining MP for now, addresses allegations of ethical breaches". CBC News. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c Tunney, Catharine (September 11, 2020). "Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal faces breach of trust, fraud charges". CBC News. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ "Former Liberal Raj Grewal says he's staying on as MP following gambling debt admission". CBC News. January 25, 2019.
- ^ "Ontario judge dismisses breach of trust charges against former Liberal MP Raj Grewal". Toronto Sun. March 10, 2023.
- ^ Gibson, Victoria (2024-02-10). "Former MP Raj Grewal launches $50M lawsuit against RCMP, Ontario attorney general". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Brampton East, 30 September 2015
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine