Cameron Ortis, a former intelligence official of the RCMP, is set to have his appeal heard in November, marking three years since his conviction in a significant national security case. Ortis was convicted in November 2023 on all six charges against him, which included breaching Canada’s secrets act. This case was the first to test charges under the legislation, previously known as the Security of Information Act, in court. He received a sentence of 14 years, minus the time already served.
Both Ortis and the Crown are appealing for different reasons. Ortis’s legal team contends that he did not receive a fair trial due to restrictions imposed by national security laws. To prevent the disclosure of national security secrets, Ortis and various witnesses provided testimony behind closed doors, a rare occurrence in Canada.
The Crown, seeking two consecutive sentences totaling 28 years in prison, is appealing the comparatively lighter sentence, arguing that the judge erred by imposing a lenient sentence given the severity of the offenses and the moral culpability of the offender. The appeal hearing is scheduled for mid-November, with the public segment to be held at the Court of Appeal in Toronto before moving to Ottawa for closed-door proceedings, as confirmed by Public Prosecution Service of Canada spokesperson Nathalie Houle.
Throughout the trial, the Crown asserted that Ortis, in his role as head of an RCMP unit with access to intelligence from Canada and its allies, attempted to sell secrets to individuals under RCMP surveillance. Ortis, bound by perpetual secrecy due to his former position, maintained to the jury of twelve that he never intended to sell information and claimed he was involved in a covert operation based on foreign agency intelligence.
Although Ortis was granted bail in April 2024 pending the appeal, he opted to remain in custody, declining bail due to concerns that the conditions of house arrest would burden his parents, according to one of his lawyers.