For a man that has apologized more than many Canadians would like him to, Justin Trudeau had a hard time saying sorry to Vice-Admiral Mark Norman on Tuesday.

Trudeau refused to apologize when asked directly to do so by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer.

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“Will the prime minister now make the only appropriate decision and apologize to Mark Norman?” Scheer asked.

Trudeau’s response was to blame Stephen Harper for awarding the contract in the first place.

Never mind that it was Trudeau’s government that coached witnesses, withheld documents, stopped Vice-Admiral Norman from accessing his own emails while Gerry Butts could do so to reply to allegations on the SNC-Lavalin scandal.

Scheer not only pointed out that double standard but also asked why the PM caved so quickly to give Omar Khadr $10.5 million when he was suing the government but was willing to spend untold millions prosecuting Norman on an issue it turns out he could never win on but as NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said, helped Trudeau’s rich friends.

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“Will the prime minister now apologize to Mark Norman?” Singh asked.

Yet Trudeau claimed that the NDP was doing nothing more than jumping on the Conservative bandwagon by asking the question.

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He also said that the decision to prosecute Norman was made independently of the government.

Yet moments after Question Period the Liberals joined with the Conservatives and NDP to back a unanimous apology to Vice-Admiral Norman.

The motion called for the House to, “express regret for the personal and professional hardships he endured as a result of his failed prosecution and apologize to him and his family for what they experienced during their legal conflict with the government.”

That motion will be cold comfort for Vice-Admiral Norman who was removed from his job as the second highest ranking member of the military, faced criminal charges over the matter and faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

The charges were stayed last week, not dropped but stayed, meaning they could come back.

Prosecutors even said their move didn’t mean Norman was innocent just that they couldn’t be sure the prosecution would win.

The man has been ruined.

He may get his job back, but not likely.

Instead he will get some kind of payout, a chance to retire with dignity and some financial security.

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Maybe not as much as Omar Khadr, but Mark Norman will surely get some money.

“This prime minister gave $10.5 million to Khadr, a convicted terrorist, so that he wouldn’t have to fight him in court,” Scheer said.

“But when it comes to a decorated naval officer who has put his career making Canadians safe, this prime minister spared no expense fighting him in court. Why the double standard?”

Trudeau called that comparison petty and asked why the opposition wouldn’t discuss the “great” things in their budget.

Of course, advertising the government’s agenda is not the opposition’s job.

And the comparison is more than fair.

Khadr got an easier ride from Justin Trudeau in the court system than Vice-Admiral Norman did, he also got a bigger payout from the government than Norman will ever get.

Trudeau wants you to believe that he and his team had no role in the prosecution on Vice-Admiral Norman.

The best that can be said is that they had no role in staying the charges.

Trudeau and his office were on the front lines in making sure Norman was charged, that is why the Liberals joining the apology in the House rings hollow.