VAdm Norman - Supply Ship contract: Legal fight

[observor 69]

An article from the Hill Times discussing Vice-Admiral Mark Norman's experience.
https://www.hilltimes.com/2019/05/20/conservatives-confident-mark-norman-will-expose-more-liberal-wrongdoing/200489?

I have been thinking over the past while what are some of the possible outcomes for the Admiral.
1. Reinstated as Vice CDS or appointed CDS. 2.Shuffled into some benign military post. 3. Give a senior civil servant spot.
4. Golden handshake.
Thoughts?

 

[Haggis]

1. Reinstated as Vice CDS or appointed CDS. 2.Shuffled into some benign military post. 3. Give a senior civil servant spot. 4. Golden handshake.
Thoughts?

5. Released having reached retirement age.  Even though he may have elected CRA 60, there is no requirement for the CAF to retain him until age 60 if there is no place to put him.  GO/FO, I believe, serve at the pleasure of the GiC and can be released 5(c) at any time if not succession planned for higher.

I would suspect the relationship between the VAdm and the CAF, particularly the CDS is strained.  The CDS has no choice but to reinstate him as per QR&O 19.75 (5).  What to do with him in this eventuality was probably never considered as the PM and many others expected him to be found guilty.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

GOFOs essentially serve at the pleasure of the CDS, who serves at the pleasure of the PM...

 

[Haggis]

GOFOs essentially serve at the pleasure of the CDS, who serves at the pleasure of the PM...

Kinda figured you'd be along shortly.  I was close... thanks, PPCLI, Guy. 

 

[Rifleman62]

Question I have: Jame Cudmore of the CBC, then employed by the government. The media protects it's sources. Anyone (gov't investigators/RCMP/CDS/DM officials) ask Cudmore if it was VAdm Norman? Yes or no answer. Is that revealing sources if Cudmore said it was someone else he received the info from, not VAdm Norman?

 

[Cloud Cover]

The feds hired him within days of writing that article. There is no legal privilege with journalism sources-if a source of journalism information  is demanded by an authority through an established legal process, they must comply. There's no grey area here, the Supreme Court made that crystal clear in the Vice media case.

 

[Loachman]

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/we-did-it-well-lametti-defends-justice-departments-response-to-subpoenas-in-mark-norman-case

'We did it well': Lametti defends Justice Department's response to subpoenas in Mark Norman case

Norman's lawyers criticized the department for the lengthy, arduous process in disclosing crucial documents

Brian Platt May 20, 2019 5:15 PM EDT

OTTAWA - Justice Minister David Lametti says he’s satisfied his department did the best job it could in finding, reviewing and disclosing thousands of government documents requested by Vice-Admiral Mark Norman’s defence team.

<snip>

Even so, Norman’s defence team made several successful arguments in court that the searches were not as comprehensive as they should have been. In some cases the search terms weren’t being used consistently across departments. In others, personal phones and email accounts weren’t being included in response to subpoenas for “all communications.”

Justice Perkins-McVey called it “baffling” that the Crown still had not handed over the requested documents and ordered the Justice Department to search again for them.

“This was an extraordinarily complex request for documents,” Lametti said. “At every stage, in good faith, we adjusted. There were things that one wouldn’t anticipate, necessarily. We fixed this thing in an ongoing way as we moved forward.”

After the case was stayed, Norman’s lawyer Marie Henein argued the government shouldn’t have been fighting so hard in the first place to hang onto documents and fight the subpoena requests. “No person in this country should ever walk into a courtroom and feel like they are fighting their elected government or any sort of political factors at all,” she said.

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-trudeaus-dark-cast-of-characters-at-the-centre-of-scandal

LILLEY: Trudeau’s dark cast of characters at the centre of scandal

Brian Lilley Published: May 21, 2019

Perhaps Jody Wilson-Raybould should be meeting up with Mark Norman to compare notes.

The Vice-Admiral and the former attorney general likely have much in common in how they have been treated by Team Trudeau.

In separate interviews with Postmedia over the last few days, the pair have been telling their respective stories.

<snip>

What they have in common is the attempt by Team Trudeau to interfere in the supposedly independent justice system.

They also share the same cast of characters.

Katie Telford, Michael Wernick, Scott Brison and of course Trudeau himself.

Telford is Trudeau’s chief of staff who famously said, “We don’t want to debate legalities any more.”

That is what Telford told Wilson-Raybould’s chief of staff after hearing another explanation on why SNC-Lavalin would not be getting the sweetheart deal to avoid prosecution.

Translation: forget what the law says, do what the PM wants.

Telford was also there when Norman was suspended prior to trial, getting a special briefing for political staffers including the now departed Gerry Butts.

<snip>

Given how Norman describes the situation it is likely Telford, a civilian and political staffer, knew more about the allegation against Canada’s second highest ranking military officer than Norman himself did.

The whole Norman affair started after then-Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick effectively kickstarted the investigation.

After Trudeau became concerned about the leak regarding the shipbuilding contract, Wernick wrote a 60-page memo for Trudeau detailing the situation and why he thought Norman was to blame.

When the RCMP was asked to investigate the request came from Wernick.

<snip>

 

[observor 69]

Chief of the Defence Staff Jonathan Vance and Vice-Admiral Mark Norman met this week to discuss the return of the senior naval officer as second-in-command of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Although Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said Vice-Adm. Norman would not be getting his old job back as vice-chief of the defence staff, a source said the discussions between General Vance and Vice-Adm. Norman focused on when he could return to the No. 2 post.

The source, who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about what transpired between the two senior military officers, said the issue is about timing and ensuring his reinstatement is done responsibly.

A source said Gen. Vance made the decision to bring Vice-Adm. Norman back on his own and that an immediate announcement is unlikely because a role has to be found for Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk, who was named Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in July, 2018.

The meeting took place on Monday, and one source described it as a warm conversation between two old friends.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/technology/science/article-first-satellites-for-elon-musks-starlink-internet-venture-launched/

What happened, had an attack of common sense in Ottawa?  Sounds like the right thing to do, almost to good to be true.

 

[Haggis]

A source said Gen. Vance made the decision to bring Vice-Adm. Norman back on his own...

The article makes it seem that the CDS did something magnanimous, when, in fact he didn't.  As I stated above, the CDS has no choice but to reinstate him as per QR&O 19.75 (5) and/or QR&O 101.09(4), which both read: "the authority who relieves an officer or non-commissioned member from the performance of military duty shall order that the member return to duty when the circumstances giving rise to the decision to relieve the member from the performance of military duty are no longer present.".

 

[Halifax Tar]

Senate votes to hear testimony from Vice-Admiral Mark Norman

A second attempt to hold parliamentary hearings on the collapse of the criminal case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was successful late Tuesday, as a handful of Independent senators voted in favour of a Conservative motion to hear him testify.

The motion, put before the Senate defence committee, calls on it "to examine and report on the circumstances that led the RCMP to lay now stayed criminal charges" against Norman, the military's former second-in-command.

The committee now looks to see the former vice chief of the defence staff, his boss Gen. Jonathan Vance and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan called to testify before June 20, when Parliament is widely expected to rise for the final time before the fall election.

The committee will have to meet again to decide when that testimony will be heard.

More at link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-mark-norman-parliamentary-hearings-murray-brewster-1.5153487

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Sept-Oct would be nice....

 

[kratz]

VAdm Norman is on the guest list for next week's RCN Change of Command parade.

 

[dapaterson]

VAdm Norman is on the guest list for next week's RCN Change of Command parade.

Incoming Kraken?

 

[FSTO]

Incoming Kraken?

Nope, Art McDonald is CRCN.

 

[kratz]

Incoming Kraken?

I was inaccurate WRT VADM Norman. He'll attend a secondary event after the COC this week.
So no, there's no speculation of him as a drowned Kraken.    ;D

From what I see, it'll be the best coast as the next Kraken vs the sandy bottom. 

 

[FSTO]

You’re mistaken sir. Best Coast and Sandy Bottom are the same locations.

 

[kratz]

You’re mistaken sir. Best Coast and Sandy Bottom are the same locations.

I'l disagree, but allow you have own thoughts on the topic.  :nod:

 

[Old Sweat]

The following story is reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

Vice-Admiral Mark Norman to retire from the military
JANICE DICKSON
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED JUNE 26, 2019
UPDATED 3 MINUTES AGO
0 COMMENTS
Vice-Admiral Mark Norman says he will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces.

A joint statement from Vice-Adm. Norman and the Department of National Defence says lawyers for both the Canadian government and the military officer have concluded conversations that have resulted in a mutually accepted agreement, and that the senior naval officer has decided not to return to his former post.

“Vice-Admiral Norman remains committed to the Navy, the Canadian Armed Forces and their mission. However, after consulting with his family, his chain of command, and his counsel, Vice-Adm. Norman has decided to retire from the Canadian Armed Forces,” says the statement issued from the department.

“Both parties believe that this resolution will return focus to the critical work of the Canadian Forces, which is the protection of all Canadians.”

The federal government thanked Vice-Adm. Norman for his 38 years of service.

The decision comes over one month after a grueling legal battle ended for Vice-Adm. Norman.

Vice-Adm. Norman was suspended as the military’s second-in-command on Jan. 16, 2017, and charged last year with a single count of breach of trust. That charge was later dropped. The Crown prosecutor said new information provided by his defence team prompted the decision in early May to stay the charge. Federal prosecutor Barbara Mercier told court in May that there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction.

The Globe and Mail has reported that the Prime Minister was frustrated and angry that a cabinet decision to delay a navy supply ship contract had been leaked to a CBC reporter in late 2015. Sources said that triggered the Privy Council Office to call in the Mounties, which eventually led to the charge against Vice-Adm. Norman.

 

[observor 69]

A joint statement from Vice-Adm. Norman and the Department of National Defence says lawyers for both the Canadian government and the military officer have concluded conversations that have resulted in a mutually accepted agreement, and that the senior naval officer has decided not to return to his former post.

I can only hope that his lawyer was able to get a reasonable amount of true justice for the Vice-Adm.

 

[The Bread Guy]

A joint statement from Vice-Adm. Norman and the Department of National Defence ….

Here it is straight from the info-machine ...

With the assistance of the Honourable Warren Winkler, former Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Appeal, counsel for both the Government of Canada and VAdm Mark Norman have concluded discussions, held in good faith, which have resulted in a mutually acceptable agreement, the details of which will remain confidential.

Vice Admiral Norman remains committed to the Navy, the Canadian Armed Forces and their mission. However, after consulting with his family, his chain of command, and his counsel, VAdm Norman has decided to retire from the Canadian Armed Forces.

Both parties believe that this resolution will return focus to the critical work of the Canadian Forces, which is the protection of all Canadians.

The Government of Canada thanks VAdm Norman for his 38 years of dedicated service, and wishes him well in all of his future endeavours.

Stand by for thread merge ...