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Henein also said she’d only received the committee’s actual invitation requests this weekend, because they had been sent to a general email inbox at her law firm rather than to her directly.

At this point, even if Norman agrees to testify, it’s unclear what form that testimony would take. Conservative Sen. Jean-Guy Dagenais has asked the committee to meet on Monday to discuss the matter. He said in a letter to the committee’s chair he intends to withdraw his motion for a study.

“I have already submitted a list of 10 people to hear and I understand that about 20 other names could be added,” Dagenais’ letter said. “At least 4 to 5 days of public meetings should be spent to hear them. It has become impossible.”

The Senate defence committee voted on May 28 to “examine and report on the circumstances that led the RCMP to lay, now stayed, criminal charges against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, including the scope and nature of the involvement in that process by any other persons.”

Given that I have spent two and a half years on this matter, I am not sure how a meaningful inquiry can proceed without a detailed review of the case and documents

The criminal charge against Norman — one count of breach of trust, stemming from allegations he leaked confidential information about the government’s disposition towards a project to procure a supply ship for the Royal Canadian Navy — was stayed on May 8.

Along with Norman, the motion named Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance as witnesses who should be invited for testimony. It also authorized the committee to invite anyone else it chooses.