It's my last intervention. I'll try to keep it tight.
I appreciate some of the comments from colleagues across the way about the great work that we have been able to do here and accomplish as a committee. I think it's a credit to you, Mr. Chair, that we've been able to bring together committee members on a number of serious reports and studies that we've undertaken. We've been able to put our partisanship aside.
I think that opportunity exists right now. If we want to take the politics out of Vice-Admiral Norman's case, I think this is one of the best committees where it could happen. This is where we can actually work together to get down to the truth. It gives us a chance as committee to look forward and to look back.
We have to look back, and there are accusations of political interference. They're still out there. Prime Minister Trudeau on two different occasions—April 6, 2017, and February 1, 2018—said that there were going to be charges laid, even though charges hadn't even happened yet. That really stinks, and we have to get down to the bottom of it. Looking forward, we need to find out how Vice-Admiral Norman is going to be compensated.
Ms. Romanado talked about his family, the ordeal they went through, the hardship that they faced, the near bankruptcy that they were forced into, and how so many military families, veterans and Canadians across this country stepped up and crowdsourced to fund his legal fees. They want answers. It is about family. It is about service. It is about the incredible record that Vice-Admiral Norman has. He deserves to be properly compensated, and for what? All he did was do his job. He made sure the navy got a ship that it desperately needed so that we could have that blue-water fleet. Instead he got dragged through the mud and run over.
We still have questions going forward about his reinstatement. Under the Queen's regulations and orders, after the suspension has been lifted, he gets to return to his old job. That's not happening. We need to find out why not.
This is a chance for us to deal with the contradictions of political interference. It gives us a chance to take the politics out and work collaboratively as parliamentarians to get to the bottom. It gives a chance for Vice-Admiral Norman to tell his story, which Canadians want to hear and need to hear. Otherwise, if we don't pass this, then I hope that our colleagues across the side will know that they will be accused of doing the Prime Minister's bidding. They are going to be accused of a cover-up, and everybody is going to be asking the big question, “What are you trying to hide?”