Liberal leader Paul Martin says when he becomes prime minister he intends to "get to the bottom" of the case of Maher Arar -- a Canadian man who claims he was tortured for nearly a year in Syria after being deported there by the United States.

"I believe what happened was simply unacceptable," Martin told an Ottawa press conference Tuesday.

"Let me tell you, when I become prime minister I'm going to get all of the facts and I'm going to make sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again," he said.

Martin said he had not ruled out the possibility of holding a public inquiry into the Arar case -- something the Opposition and critics have been calling for.

Prime Minister Chretien has ruled out such an inquiry.

Arar, 33, was detained and questioned as a suspected terrorist in New York in September 2002. Though he was never charged, he was suddenly sent to Syria, his birth country, via Jordan.

There, he says he was beaten, kept in a tiny cell, and forced to sign a false confession. He was released without explanation in early October and described months of torture upon returning to Canada.

Martin said Tuesday the Arar case showed how essential it is for Canadian and U.S. officials to share information.

"If in fact we are going to have the kind of exchanges of information which are so important in terms of the security of North America, there is going to have to be an understanding that in fact the Canadian passport will be respected and that fundamental rights will be respected," he said.

Martin will be sworn in as prime minister on Dec. 12.