Almost two years after Auditor General Sheila Fraser's shocking report that first outlined problems with the federal sponsorship funding, Justice John Gomery will release the first of his two reports on the now-defunct program.

Gomery's commission of inquiry began in May 2004. Public hearings were held last fall in Ottawa, and through the winter and spring in Montreal.

The revelations from testimony and documents at those hearings made for daily fodder in Parliament's question period, and Canadians have become thoroughly educated in how the Liberal government, starting in the mid-1990s, launched a dubious sponsorship program aimed at fighting Quebec separatism.

Gomery's final report is due Feb. 1, after which Prime Minister Paul Martin has promised to call an election. However, it is the initial report, to be released Nov. 1, that will likely be the more sensational of the two.

The first report will focus on the facts about the program, which saw millions of taxpayer dollars flowing to Liberal-friendly ad firms, mostly in Quebec, that did work of little or no value.

The onus is on Gomery to draw conclusions based on the hours of testimony and stacks of documents, to draw conclusions, and ultimately, table recommendations in an effort to prevent such future scandals.

Speculation on what the report will contain is running rampant.

The Toronto Star reported that the first part of inquiry findings will blame a group of former prime minister Jean Chretien loyalists, referred to as "a small group driven by Liberal interests and personal greed that almost effortlessly breached walls built to separate politicians from the treasury."

However, a spokesperson for the inquiry said it is "absolutely impossible" that information could have been leaked.

"It doesn't seem to come from the commission. We've taken all the reasonable security measures to prevent any leak. Also it's a very small number of people who were in contact with the full report. Maybe six or eight people at the most," Francois Perreault said.

Had there been a leak, he said, "we would have asked the RCMP to investigate it."

Now, with the anticipation of the long-awaited report, attention is turning to the effect it could have on Martin's minority government.

But it's yet unclear whether the fallout from the reports will have an impact on the Canadian electorate when they head to the polls.

Meanwhile, Gomery is working on his second report, which will make recommendations. He has held closed-door roundtables with academics, former politicians, bureaucrats and other public policy experts.

He wants input on issues surrounding the scandal, such as accountability, transparency, and whistleblower legislation.

Gomery has also asked Canadians to submit their comments on the scandal through the inquiry website or by mail to help him develop recommendations for changes in government procedure.

"In my final report I plan to propose some solutions to ensure clearer accountability between the executive and administrative arms of government," he said in a statement.

"In doing this, I recognize the importance of seeking out public input from across Canada in order to reflect regional perspectives and views on the key issues that have been raised in this public inquiry."

Martin has promised to call an election within 30 days of the second report.