By Canadian Press

Arrest in RCMP secrets case touched off a flurry of activity at highest levels

Dec 16, 2019 | 2:38 PM

OTTAWA — The head of Canada’s spy agency was briefed two dozen times over a six-week period last fall about a security lapse at the national police force — an indication of the gravity of the alleged breach by a senior RCMP intelligence official.

The top-secret briefing materials, marked CEO for “Canadian Eyes Only,” kept Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault abreast of developments in Project Ace, the RCMP investigation of Cameron Jay Ortis, one of the force’s own members.

The Ortis case also touched off a concerted effort at the highest levels to address the concerns of Canada’s key allies, records disclosed through the Access to Information Act show.

Ortis, 47, was charged under the Security of Information Act for allegedly disclosing secrets to an unknown recipient and planning to reveal additional classified information to an unspecified foreign entity.

He faces a total of seven counts under various provisions, dating from as early as Jan. 1, 2015, to Sept. 12 of this year, when he was arrested.

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No trial date has been set, but Ortis is due to make another court appearance Tuesday in Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2019.

—Follow @JimBronskill on Twitter

The Canadian Press