There’s a time-honoured tradition in Ottawa : when things go wrong — horribly wrong — somebody gets thrown under the bus.
The collapse of the criminal case against Vice-Admiral Mark Norman saw that custom accelerated at breakneck speed this week as the Liberal government sought to put as much distance as possible between itself and the failed prosecution.
The most prominent person among those tossed beneath the wheels is the country’s top military commander , Gen. Jonathan Vance , who — according to both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan — was the one who decided to suspend Norman in the first place.
” The chief of defence staff has full responsibility for the administration and command of the Canadian Armed Forces “. Trudeau told the Commons during question period this week.
Sajjan , who served under Vance in Afghanistan , also tried to steer blame toward the chief of the defence staff during marathon questioning Wednesday night related to his department’s budget.
” When the decision ( to suspend Norman ) was made, I supported it ” the minister said, citing the chief’s authority under the National Defence Act … ” I have faith in the chief of defence staff to carry out his duties “.
Those remarks made it sound as though the minister was an innocent bystander who had no authority to question or challenge Vance’s decision.
That’s pretty ironic , since senior government officials have for months framed the prosecution of Norman, on allegations of leaking cabinet information , as an effort to reinforce civilian control over the military.
The commander of the navy , they argued , should never be allowed to usurp the will of the elected government of the day by agitating for a leased supply ship.
The notion that military men should be ” limited to request[ing] and advising on needs ” is seeded throughout the Crown’s factum in the Norman case , filed last December.
On Friday , Vance ( obviously , WILLING ‘ Fall Guy ‘… Re ; ‘ Will be paid well for ! … ) insisted that the decision to suspend Norman was his alone and was made without political direction or interference.
Others being tossed under the bus this week include harried (and occasionally befuddled) civil servants whose slow, deliberate combing of federal government documents subpoenaed by the defence turned the court process into an extraordinary exercise in frustration.
Buckets of black ink were poured over the various records through redaction, apparently in the interest of preserving cabinet secrecy or solicitor-client privilege.
And then there’s this guy … Who’s been oddly quiet since the Wilson-Raybould ordeal …
” The decision to redact information was made by public servants in this case and overseen by the court ” said Justice Minister David Lametti. ” We met all our obligations “…
And not one iota more !!! … ‘Cuz … You know … An election comin’ up real soon …
What the Liberals failed to explain was why Conservative-era cabinet documents — which could have helped to exonerate Norman early on — were not in the hands of either the RCMP or the Crown.
The Conservatives are using that fact , among others , as the foundation for their call for a public inquiry.
Why isn’t Lametti inspired by his USA counterpart ( Barr ) and having a closer looksy at how all this started in the first place ? …
Not even the Ontario government escaped the bus this week. In what was one of the more creative deflections , justice officials and ( eventually ) Liberal MPs argued that it wasn’t the federal government that actually prosecuted Norman … Rather , the director of public prosecutions was acting in the name of the Attorney General of Ontario because the case was grinding through provincial court system.
One thing for sure they are mimicking .. The tried and true ‘ Pass The Buck Blame Game ‘ …
Source: How the Liberals spent the week blaming everyone else for the Mark Norman fiasco | CBC News
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