Opposition Leader Stephen Harper's Tribute to MP Gurmant Grewal

Ottawa - February 26, 2003 Gurmant Grewal, Member of Parliament for Surrey Central, was
applauded in the House of Commons by the Leader of the Official Opposition Stephen Harper
for having spent exactly half his time in Canada as a Parliamentarian. This week marks a
milestone for Mr. Grewal, for since arriving in Canada 4010 days ago he has spent 2005 days
serving the constituents of Surrey Central.

Said Mr. Harper, "All of us in this chamber work very hard, but I want to mention something very
special for our colleague, the member for Surrey Central. He became a Member of Parliament 5
years and 8 months - 2005 days - after immigrating to Canada, a record in Canadian history.
Today he has been a MP for exactly that same amount of time."

"During his two terms, in addition to serving well his constituents in, by population, one of the
largest ridings in Canada, he has made a significant contribution in Canadian parliament,"
continued Mr. Harper.

In the last election Mr. Grewal's margin of victory was four times larger than in the previous
election, his first.

"He has served as Deputy House Leader and our Caucus Officer. He actively participates in the
debates - in fact he is one of the most often spoken members in the House."

Mr. Grewal has raised many important issues, from Surrey crime, to human rights and freedom of
speech, from foreign embassy corruption, to immigration policy. In different sessions Mr. Grewal
has delivered more speeches than any other Parliamentarian, and he often assists his
colleagues by speaking to their private member's business.

"Mr. Grewal champions many issues through Motions and Bills, seeking to recognize foreign
academic credentials, protect whistle blowers, bring about parliamentary reform, legislate a
disallowance procedure for regulations, and eliminate the GST on taxes," said the Leader.

"The member for Surrey Central has been elected four times as the co-chair of the Standing Joint
Committee for Scrutiny of Regulations, one of only two Opposition members to hold such a
prestigious position," continued Mr. Harper.

Mr. Grewal has also been a member of various other committees, including the committees on
Procedure and House Affairs, Public Accounts, Foreign Affairs and International Trade,
Environment and Sustainable Development, Canadian Heritage, Health, Citizenship &
Immigration, Liaison Committee, and the Sub-Committee of the Standing Committee of Justice on
Organized Crime.

"He has also broken the parliamentary consecutive voting record - no wonder we call him 'Iron
Man,'" concluded Harper as members of Parliament from across party lines rose to applaud and
congratulate Mr. Grewal.