In a story ripped from the works of John le Carré (or perhaps John le Carr-eh), a landmark Canadian espionage case just hit the courts.
What happened: The eight-week trial of Cameron Ortis is now underway, with the former director general of the RCMP’s intelligence unit pleading not guilty to six espionage-related charges. In his role, Ortis had access to troves of information about Canada and its allies.
Catch-up: In 2019, Ortis was arrested for handing over top-secret national security info to four people without authorization between 2015 and 2019. Details about what exactly he disclosed and who he disclosed it to (the hot goss we really want to know) are expected to come out during the trial.
Why it matters: This will be a precedent-setting trial as it is the first time a case brought by the Security of Information Act (SOIA) will be tried in court, and will determine if our current legislative framework is built to handle spying trials, one national security lawyer told CBC.
- SOIA — a rarely-evoked legislation designed to safeguard national secrets — has only resulted in one conviction in its nearly 22-year history.
Zoom out: Canada’s Five Eyes intelligence allies (the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand) will have their eyes fixed on the trial, as they have reportedly been disappointed in Canada’s ability to crack down on leaks and prosecute perpetrators of espionage.
Bottom line: With fears around foreign interference from the likes of China and India at an all-time high, prosecutors will be extra motivated to show Canada isn’t soft on spies.—QH