Trial set to begin for former RCMP intelligence director accused of disclosing secrets

More than four years after Cameron Jay Ortis was charged with breaching Canada's secrets law, the former RCMP intelligence director is about to get his day in court.

Ortis was taken into custody in Ottawa in September 2019 — an arrest that deeply shocked the national police force.

As the head of the RCMP's National Intelligence Co-ordination Centre, Ortis had access to some of the country's most closely held information.

Ortis is charged with violating the Security of Information Act by allegedly revealing secrets to three individuals and trying to do so in a fourth instance, as well as breach of trust and a computer-related offence.

A multi-week trial is slated to get underway in Ontario Superior Court today with the selection of a jury.

Jon Doody, co-counsel for Ortis, says his client plans to plead not guilty to all charges.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2023.