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We don’t know what that information was, and we may never know. Henein said it is still in the hands of the prosecution because a court case in which public servant Matthew Matchett is charged over the leak of confidential information regarding the Davie project is still ongoing.

But the defence has routinely pointed out that the RCMP failed to interview a single Harper-era minister or elected official during its investigation. We now know that Henein did.

It’s possible that Kenney’s evidence helped Norman’s case and led to the charge being dropped. After all, how could Norman be guilty of violating the public trust if he was merely following through on a process that had Cabinet approval?

That remains conjecture. What seems beyond doubt is that the return to work Norman is seeking will be all kinds of awkward.

I invited direct input and he gave me compelling advice Jason Kenney

He will return to work alongside a man who removed him from his post summarily and set in train a series of events that very nearly destroyed his life. Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance’s supporters claim he had no alternative — that Norman was advising an interested party (a senior Davie executive) on tactics to ensure the new cabinet approved the project, too.

In a statement to media late Wednesday, Vance said he would be discussing with Norman “his return to active duty at the earliest opportunity,” and that he looked forward to welcoming him back to work.

But it appears that Norman and Vance were on different sides of the supply ship decision. One can only speculate on how Vance felt when Kenney sided with Norman.