Just as disturbing is that fact the judge believed there was a need to protect the witness from reprisals from federal officials and those at National Defense headquarters. To do that, the judge ordered a publication ban so the name of the military witness – for now anyways – would not be revealed publicly.
This is a military member who knew what the right thing to do was and came forward on his own. He didn’t trust the Canadian Forces system to protect him. He didn’t trust the senior military and defence leadership, which had already determined that Norman was guilty of wrongdoing, even though no internal investigation into the vice admiral’s actions were conducted.
The witness didn’t go to the National Investigation Service, the internal DND police force that often finds it challenging to gather evidence that might implicate senior leaders. He didn’t go to the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, a troubled organization which is considered a joke among whistleblowers. And he didn’t go to the Information Commissioner of Canada, the organization that oversees the Access to Information law but on that is gaining an increasing reputation among those who use the process as being too cozy with the senior bureaucracy.
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