Norman ousted as DND No. 2 as probe continues
Vice admiral faces one count of breach of trust
Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance has ordered the permanent removal of Vice Admiral Mark Norman from his job as vice chief of the defence staff.
Norman was technically still vice chief even though Vance suspended him from that job in January 2017 after a series of allegations, still unproven, were made by the RCMP against the senior naval officer.
The police force claims Norman tipped off Davie shipyards that the Liberal government was going to derail a key navy program involving the Quebec firm converting a commercial ship into a supply vessel for the Royal Canadian Navy.
Details about the Liberal government decision to put the supply ship project on hold leaked to the media and the resulting embarrassment forced the government to back down on its plans.
Earlier this year, the RCMP charged Norman with one count of breach of trust.
Norman denies any wrongdoing and has said he looks forward to his day in court to prove his innocence.
The vice admiral has never been interviewed by the RCMP.
Norman will be put into a holding position in Vance’s office but will continue to be suspended with pay. He will not report for duty.
“His career in the CAF will be addressed following the conclusion of his legal matters,” the Canadian Forces noted in an email on Wednesday.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk will become vice chief of the defence staff on a permanent basis. Wynnyk will assume that position after he hands over command of the Canadian Army to Lt.-Gen. Jean Marc Lanthier on July 16, the Forces said in its email.
Norman has requested financial assistance from a special government fund that covers legal fees for federal employees. DND declined that request, claiming Norman has already been found guilty of disclosing confidential information.
That determination of guilt was made by a small group of military officers and bureaucrats.
They did not conduct any investigation and the DND has declined to say how this determination of guilt was arrived at.
Norman’s case has sparked allegations of political interference.
Earlier this year, before Norman was charged, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau predicted that Norman would end up in court. It was the second time Trudeau had made such a prediction.
At the time, Trudeau was asked by a member of the public at an Edmonton town hall meeting when his government was going to stop the “witch-hunt” against Norman.
“On the issue of the case which is very much underway in terms of investigation and inevitably court processes, I won’t say much, other than to say I took the advice of our chief of defence staff on this particular case,” Trudeau responded.
“I trust our public service in their capacity to make determinations about what actually needs to happen in cases like this.”
Vance has declined a request to provide information about which officials in the prime minister’s office he briefed regarding the Norman case.
Meanwhile, the supply ship that Norman fought for is now refuelling and resupplying Canadian warships at sea.
It is a rare example of a defence project that was delivered on time and on budget, military officers say.