Royal Canadian Navy Vice-Admiral Mark Norman (left) speaks with Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd during a change of command ceremony, Thursday, June 23, 2016 in Ottawa. Norman, one of the military’s highest ranking officers, has been temporarily removed from his post. (Adrian Wyld/CP)
OTTAWA – New court documents appear to have pulled back the curtains on one of the military’s most closely guarded secrets: why its second-highest-ranking officer was suspended in January.
An affidavit released by an Ottawa court and obtained by the Globe and Mail show the RCMP suspect Vice-Adm. Mark Norman of leaking secret government documents.
Those secret documents allegedly related to a $700-million contract to convert a civilian ship into a new resupply vessel for the navy, after its previous two resupply ships were forced into early retirement.
No charges have been laid against Norman, whose lawyer says her client has caught been caught in a bureaucratic crossfire.
The Liberals had quietly considered cancelling the contract after taking power, which the Conservative government awarded to Quebec City shipyard Chantier Davie without a competition in 2015.
But the Liberals decided to move ahead with the contract after documents leaked to the media revealed that the government would have to pay Davie $89 million if it was cancelled.
