Former CSIS director Richard Fadden says the lack of explanation around the suspension of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman is 鈥渦nprecedented.鈥�
Norman held the second-highest ranking job in the military when he was abruptly suspended from his job in January.
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said the suspension was not related to national security concerns, but that the decision had to be made.
鈥淚t鈥檚 never happened,鈥� Fadden told Evan Solomon, host of CTV鈥檚 Question Period, during a roundtable discussion airing Sunday. 鈥淚 think we鈥檒l have to wait what the RCMP comes up with but I鈥檓 particularly concerned with the amount of time it鈥檚 taking.鈥�
Norman has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Marie Henein, said in February that Norman was 鈥渃aught in the bureaucratic crossfire.鈥�
"It is our sincerest hope that an objective investigation is concluded quickly and that Vice-Admiral Norman returns to his post serving all Canadians," Henein said in a statement.
Fadden, who also served as national security advisor to Stephen Harper, said he鈥檚 unclear of the details of the case, but says the investigation is 鈥渢aking far too long.鈥�
鈥淭he other thing you have to realize is passing quasi-classified information happens every day -- I mean, think of what happens around the budget. So if he is being investigated for something, I hope it鈥檚 for something really serious, not just because he had a cup of tea and passed on some basic information.鈥�
Conservative critics have also called on the government to release an explanation of why Norman was suspended.
The suspension came less than six months after Norman became vice chief of defence staff.
Correspondence obtained by 麻豆影视 earlier this month shows that Norman had considered resigning over attempted political interference in a shipbuilding contract by Irving Shipyards, before he was ultimately removed from his duties.
Last October, the government formally launched a competition to choose a new design for its much-needed navy ships, with the winner to be chosen in the summer of 2017. The government took measures to ensure that the process was fair and open, including industry consultations and hiring an independent fairness monitor.
Sources say Irving wrote to multiple cabinet ministers in the newly minted Liberal government in November of 2015, trying to scuttle a multimillion dollar plan to rebuild a desperately needed supply ship for the Royal Canadian Navy that had been awarded to competitor Davie Shipyards.
Expressing his frustration, Norman wrote: 鈥淭his is sole [sic] destroying. I might be prepared to resign over this. I can't keep playing along much longer.鈥�
Documents related to the procurement plan, known as Project Resolve, were leaked to media and the defence industry. 麻豆影视 has learned that the leaks prompted an RCMP probe, which led to Norman鈥檚 suspension.
Sources say Norman is not being investigated for breaching national security or seeking financial gain. Those close to him say he鈥檚 being scapegoated.
In a statement to 麻豆影视, Irving said they did not contact the RCMP, nor have they been contacted. They did not respond to questions about alleged attempts to lobby the government on the shipbuilding issue.
