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Mark Norman affair needs public inquiry, Scheer says

May 17, 2019 | 12:40 PM

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says Canada needs a public inquiry into the case of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

On Parliament Hill this afternoon, Scheer says a full investigation is justified to examine how the military’s former second-in-command came to be charged with over alleged leaks of cabinet secrets about a shipbuilding contract.

The case against Norman collapsed last week after Crown prosecutors got new information from the defence that convinced them they stood no reasonable chance of landing a conviction.

Scheer says he has questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s role in launching the original leak investigation and whether the government behaved improperly in resisting the release of documents to Norman’s lawyers.

Despite statements from prosecutors that the prime minister didn’t put political pressure on them, Scheer says Trudeau interfered in the case.

He also says Norman deserves a personal apology from the prime minister.

The Canadian Press