Ottawa: The second in command of Canada's military leaked cabinet secrets related to a navy shipbuilding contract, police say in a court document unsealed Wednesday.
Vice-Admiral Mark Norman was relieved of his duty in January following an investigation, but little was said at the time about the reasons for the move.
In to the affidavit used to obtain a search warrant of Norman's home, police say he had provided sensitive government information to a local shipyard.
In the 97-page court document, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accuse him and another unnamed official of breach of trust, as well as two violations of the Security of Information Act.
No charges have been made and the allegations have not been tested in court. Norman has denied any wrongdoing.
The heavily-redacted court document includes expletive-laden emails from Norman to Spencer Fraser, head of Federal Fleet shipyards in Quebec.
Federal Fleet had been selected by the previous Tory government to provide the navy with an interim supply ship.
In the emails, Norman appears worried that the project will be delayed over concerns raised by rival shipyards about the lack of competition in awarding the contract.
He also describes how the project was viewed by the incoming Liberal administration.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals put the project on hold when they came to power in 2015, but eventually decided to proceed with it.
Norman in one email notes that the leaks -- which came to light in a late 2015 local news article -- infuriated the new Liberal government.
The prime minister's office "is having kittens over references to explicit cabinet discussions in (the) article," Norman wrote in an email to his shipyard contact, included in the court document.
Norman served in the Canadian military for 36 years and was appointed vice chief last year, after spending four years in command at the Royal Canadian Navy.
