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The RCMP alleges Norman tipped off Davie shipyards that the Liberal government was going to delay a key navy program involving the Quebec firm converting a commercial ship, the Asterix, into a supply vessel.

Details about the Liberal decision to put the supply ship project on hold leaked out to the news media and the resulting embarrassment forced the government to back down on its plans. Furious about the leak, the Liberal government called in the RCMP to investigate.

The case against Norman centers around a Nov. 19, 2015 meeting by Liberal cabinet ministers who decided to delay the Davie supply project after they received a letter from the firm’s east coast rival, Irving Shipbuilding. Irving, closely linked to the Trudeau government, has denied allegations it was involved in any political meddling to undercut a rival shipyard.

Norman wasn’t at the cabinet meeting but searches of electronic devices and computers at Davie showed he had exchanged emails with one company official.

Norman has denied any wrongdoing. He has never been interviewed by the RCMP.

The RCMP has been investigating Norman since the fall of 2016 and in January 2017 raided his home in an Ottawa suburb.

Shortly after the RCMP raid in January 2017, Norman was suspended from his job as vice chief of the defence by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance.

Last year concerns were raised about the strength of the RCMP’s evidence against Norman.

In examining the public release of the RCMP’s request for a search warrant related to the Norman case, Ontario Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips noted in an April 2017 ruling that it was not unusual for the vice admiral to be communicating with Davie since the company was involved in the ship project.