Vice-Admiral Mark Norman victim of 'bureaucratic crossfire,' says high-profile lawyer

The country's second-highest military commander is looking forward to clearing his name through an "objective investigation," says the high-profile Toronto lawyer defending him.

Marie Henein, who also represented former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi during his sex assault trial, issued a statement Thursday saying it would be a "profound disservice" if Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was to be the casualty of "bureaucratic crossfire."

Henein's involvement in the case and the six-line statement she issued Thursday raise even more troubling questions about Norman's suspension, which has been cloaked in intrigue and secrecy since it was leaked to the media in early January.

The Liberal government and National Defence have steadfastly refused to disclose the reason for the unprecedented suspension.

• Norman investigated for alleged leak of classified data
• Prior leaks on RCMP's radar before vice-admiral's removal
• Norman owed 'decency' of silence while system works: Vance

CBC News and other media outlets have reported that Norman is under RCMP investigation for allegedly leaking classified information, possibly about the shipbuilding program.

The RCMP has yet to publicly confirm such an investigation and officials at National Defence have made it clear Norman has not been the subject of a criminal investigation by the Canadian Forces.

The commissioner of the RCMP, Bob Paulson, refused to answer a direct question put to him by a Senate committee about the alleged investigation into the admiral. Most of what the public has learned, thus far, has been garnered through leaks.

Henein's statement denied her client has done anything wrong, but doesn't say specifically what he's being accused of. 

"Vice-Admiral Norman looks forward to being cleared and unequivocally denies any wrongdoing," Henein said in the statement. "He has at all times served his country honourably and with the sole objective of advancing the national interest and the protection of Canada."

"It would be a profound disservice to us all if a national hero and widely respected Canadian who has served under numerous governments was caught in the bureaucratic crossfire," she said.​

Secrets and cabinet confidences

Under Stephen Harper's government, the definition of what could be considered secret cabinet information was expanded through rewritten federal Treasury Board regulations in 2013.

Departmental lawyers were given wider discretion to decide what constitutes a cabinet secret — known as a "confidence."

The result has been that data — previously considered innocuous — was labelled a state secret and hidden not only from the public, but from members of Parliament, parliamentary watchdogs and even the information commissioner.

Plea for privacy

Last week, Norman's boss, Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, issued a heartfelt appeal for his deputy's privacy as the matter proceeds.

"It is a situation that makes none of us happy at all," Vance told reporters. 

"The decent thing to do for Admiral Norman is to let what's happening happen, and not speculate and not try to find sources that may not have all of the information."