Vice Admiral Mark Norman says he wants to return to his position as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, the same job he had before being suspended by Gen. Jon Vance in January 2017.
But that won’t be happening.
Norman was talking to journalists about what he would like to see happens next now that federal prosecutors have stayed the one charge of breach of trust that he faced.
“I believe that for me and for the Canadian Armed Forces the best choice would be for me to go back into my former position,” Norman told journalists at a news conference after the court proceedings.
The vice chief of the defence staff is the second highest ranking military position in the Canadian Forces.
But Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan shot down any return of Norman to the position of VCDS.
“We currently have a vice-chief of defence staff and he will remain in place,” Sajjan told reporters. “I understand that Gen. Vance, as his immediate superior, will be meeting with him and discussing the next steps. Once those discussions have taken place I’ll have further advice given to me.”
Vance issued a statement noting he would be talking to Norman soon and he looked “forward to welcoming him back to work as soon as possible.” The statement did not discuss what position Norman would take over.
The RCMP alleged Norman tipped off Davie Shipbuilding in the fall of 2015 that the Liberal government was considering delaying a project in which the Quebec firm would convert a commercial ship into a much-needed naval supply vessel. Details about the government’s decision were also leaked to journalists, and the resulting embarrassment — along with the potential imposition of $89 million in financial penalties — forced the Liberal government to back down.
The case against the naval officer collapsed Wednesday.
“Vice-Admiral Norman, you entered a plea of not guilty,” Justice Heather Perkins-McVey told him shortly after Crown prosecutors announced Wednesday they no longer had a reasonable prospect of conviction and were staying the charge. “You are presumed to be innocent, and you remain so. You are free to leave.”
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
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