OTTAWA—Vice Admiral Mark Norman’s criminal trial for allegedly leaking cabinet secrets about a delayed navy ship contract is over, but the Navy commander has still not returned to active duty, and the political, legal and operational implications of the ill-fated case are reverberating across official Ottawa.The professional fallout for Norman, who was effectively cleared of criminal wrongdoing, remains unclear.He did not meet with his boss, Gen. Jonathan Vance, Thursday due to Vance’s heavy schedule, according to the general’s office. A meeting is “likely” next week.Equally unclear is the fallout for the Trudeau government, and the Privy Council Office, the guardian of cabinet confidences.Politically, the Liberals dodged the prospect of a potentially embarrassing trial playing out ahead of next fall’s election. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could still pay a price if Opposition accusations of political interference in the case, which dominated question period Thursday, stick, adding fuel to the SNC-Lavalin fire, in which similar allegations of political meddling plunged Trudeau’s government in the polls.Read more: Kenney says he offered to testify in Vice-Admiral Mark Norman’s defence on breach of trust charge Opinion | Susan Delacourt: Mark Norman’s prosecution couldn’t end soon enough for Justin TrudeauCrown drops breach-of-trust case against Vice-Admiral Mark NormanAnd, now, in the wake of the collapse of the Norman trial, a senior official said there are questions on the mind of top officials in the prime minister’s office about whether there are any enforceable standards to stop unauthorized disclosures, or leaks, of cabinet secrets.That’s because Norman’s defence lawyer Marie Henein punched a giant hole in the notion that there are any clear rules or standards. In a scathing written brief to a judge seeking documents in Norman’s case to prove that, she wrote: ...
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