A former RCMP intelligence official is on trial for leaking secrets, but his lawyer argues that he did not betray Canada. Jon Doody, the lawyer representing Cameron Jay Ortis, began his closing arguments in Ontario Superior Court on November 16. Ortis, 51, has pleaded not guilty to violating the Security of Information Act, as well as breach of trust and a computer-related offense. The Crown contends that Ortis lacked the authority to disclose classified material and was not engaged in any undercover operation when he revealed the secrets.
However, Ortis’s defense claims that he did not commit a crime and was acting in response to a “clear and grave threat.” Ortis has testified that he did not lose sight of his mission and that he offered secret material to targets in order to get them to use an online encryption service set up by an allied intelligence service for spying on adversaries. This revelation comes during the closing arguments in the highly publicized trial in which defense and prosecution are presenting their final cases.