Article content continued

The case revolved around a November 2015 decision by the newly elected Liberal government to reconsider a $700-million contract the Harper Conservatives awarded to Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding.

Davie was hired to convert a civilian vessel, the MV Asterix, into a temporary resupply ship that would be leased until a permanent replacement was ready.

While the plan to revisit the contract was supposed to remain secret, court documents showed the RCMP suspected Norman of being upset with the decision over concerns the government would cancel the project.

Norman was commander of the navy at the time and, according to the documents, allegedly worked with Davie to pressure the government to keep the project afloat.

In staying the charge last week, prosecutor Barbara Mercier said the Crown believes some of Norman’s actions, including his communications, were inappropriate.

However, the ultimate conclusion — that those actions did not cross the threshold of criminality — were informed by fresh material she had received from the defence.

It’s up to the federal prosecution service to decide whether to share the information with the RCMP, MacLean said.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen that evidence yet,” he said. “We’d like to get the totality of the information and do a proper analysis.”

As a result, MacLean said, it is premature to comment on whether he now sees the Norman probe differently.

The case’s collapse has prompted questions about why the Mounties did not interview ministers in the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper, including Jason Kenney and Peter MacKay, both of whom spoke to the defence.