Top Canadian intelligence official and East Asia expert Cameron Ortis arrested on spying charges

The national police agency of Canada said on Friday they had arrested a senior intelligence official in its own force on charges of breaching the country’s secrets law.

Authorities alleged Cameron Jay Ortis, 47, tried to disclose classified information to a foreign entity. They did not say to whom.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Ortis was charged under three sections of the Security of Information Act, as well as two Criminal Code provisions, including breach of trust.

“The allegations are that he obtained, stored, processed sensitive information, we believe with the intent to communicate it to people that he shouldn’t be communicating it to,” prosecutor John MacFarlane told journalists after Ortis appeared in court on Friday.

MacFarlane said the prosecution would argue at an upcoming bail proceeding that Ortis should remain in custody while his case was before the courts.

The RCMP suspected Ortis stole “large quantities of information, which could compromise an untold number of investigations”, according to Global News, which first reported the arrest.

The agency said the charges stemmed from activities alleged to have occurred during his time with the force, suggesting he was active with the Mounties up to the time he was taken into custody.

The charge sheet listed a total of seven counts against Ortis under the various provisions, dating from as early as January 1, 2015, through to Thursday, when he was arrested.

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Sources with knowledge of national security investigations said Ortis was a top adviser to former RCMP commissioner Bob Paulson on issues related to national security, and had control over counter-intelligence operations.

Public broadcaster Radio-Canada said Ortis is a specialist in East Asia, critical infrastructure and online “bots”.

On the LinkedIn social network, the account of a person named Cameron Ortis indicates he has worked for the Canadian government since 2007 after receiving a doctorate in international relations and political science at the University of British Columbia.

The account also says he speaks Mandarin, the official language of China, with which Canada is in the midst of an unprecedented diplomatic crisis.

Neither Ortis nor a lawyer for him could be reached for immediate comment. A court hearing in the case has been set for September 20.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is campaigning for a second term in office, told reporters at an election rally: “I can assure you that the authorities are taking this extremely seriously.” He did not comment further.

His opponent Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said it was “extremely concerning that a senior RCMP intelligence officer has been arrested for leaking national security information”.

“This is another reminder of the threats we face from foreign actors,” said Scheer, who is tied in the polls with Trudeau.

“Operationally, this could be very, very bad,” said Stephanie Carvin, an assistant professor and security expert at Ottawa’s Carleton University.

Brian Job, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia, said by email that he had seen Ortis very occasionally since Ortis left the school.

“Cameron never provided details of his employment with the RCMP. Nothing in my experience with Cameron would lead me to suspect his alleged involvement in the activities for which he charged. Indeed, the exact opposite is true,” Job said.

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Canada is a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance with Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United States.

The Security of Information Act, ushered in following the September 11 attacks in the US, is intended to safeguard sensitive government secrets.

Charges have been rare but Jeffrey Paul Delisle, a naval officer who gave classified material to Russia, pleaded guilty to offences under the act in 2012.

Relations between China and Canada have soured recently.

Beijing last December detained two Canadian nationals in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant.

China has also blocked Canadian agricultural shipments worth billions of dollars.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters