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A former RCMP intelligence official convicted of breaching Canada’s secrets law has been granted day parole to help him prepare for his full return to society, including possible employment as an electrical worker.
Records show the Parole Board of Canada approved day parole, with specific conditions, for Cameron Jay Ortis, who was found guilty in November 2023 of violating the Security of Information Act.
Ortis was sentenced to 14 years in prison in early 2024 but he had only seven years and 155 days left to serve due to time already spent in custody.
In February this year, the parole board approved day parole at a separate location — likely a private residence — for six months with a nightly curfew.
Late last month, the board granted a six-month extension of the arrangement.
Day parole allows offenders to participate in community-based activities during the day, but they must return to a designated location in the evening.
Ortis, 54, led an RCMP group that assembled secret information on cybercriminals, terror cells and transnational criminal networks.
He pleaded not guilty in court to all charges — including breaking the secrets law by revealing classified information to three individuals of interest to police in 2015 and trying to do so in a fourth instance.
Ortis, who was born and raised in British Columbia, obtained a PhD in political science and international relations and completed a post-doctoral fellowship. His sensitive work at the RCMP involved access to top secret documents.
At Ortis’s trial, a picture emerged of a driven, quick-minded individual — an avid runner who kept his personal life to himself.
Ortis testified he did not betray the RCMP. Rather, he said, he offered secret material to targets in a bid to get them to use an online encryption service set up by an allied intelligence agency to spy on adversaries.
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The Crown argued Ortis had no authority to disclose classified material and that he was not doing so as part of a legitimate undercover operation, though it could not pinpoint a motive.
Jurors declared Ortis guilty of three counts of violating the Security of Information Act and one count of attempting to do so, as well as breach of trust and fraudulent use of a computer system.
In sentencing Ortis, Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger said the former Mountie was in a position of “extreme trust” at the RCMP and that his actions could have put lives at risk.
Maranger said these actions undermined Canada’s international reputation in the intelligence community.
Ortis is appealing his conviction and sentence and the Crown is appealing the length of his sentence.
He was granted bail in 2024 but opted to remain in custody during the appeal process.
In approving Ortis’s application for day parole, the parole board concluded his “risk to reoffend can be safely managed.”
“The board notes that your offending took place within a very specific set of circumstances related to your past employment and that these circumstances are unlikely ever to reoccur,” the board’s February record of decision reads. “There is no information indicating your involvement in any other form of criminal behaviour.”
The board imposed conditions on Ortis, including a ban on communicating with known criminals, restrictions on the use of internet-connected devices and regular reporting of financial transactions.
The record of decision says that at the start of his sentence, Ortis maintained he believed he had the authority to share the information. He noted that his job required him to make these kinds of decisions approximately five to six times a year, while occasionally walking a fine line.
“You now acknowledge and understand you did not have the authority to share the information you did and that you should have consulted with others and gathered more information about the decisions you were making,” the record says. “You have expressed regret for your actions and are aware of the negative impact your actions have had on others.”
The parole board said Ortis provided letters of support from family members and others willing to support him in the community.
“The board has also directly received support letters from friends, associates and family members,” the record of decision reads. “These letters consistently attest to your good character and specifically address the kind of support they are willing to provide to you.”
The board noted that Ortis planned to take part in an online technology program in preparation for a specialized position in the electrical field.
While in custody, Ortis completed an apprenticeship program for electricians and an environmental operators certification program that allowed him to obtain work at the institution’s wastewater treatment plant.
The Canadian Press has reached out to lawyers for Ortis requesting comment but has not yet received a response.
A record of the August parole decision in Ortis’s case says the board received a letter in March from one of his former colleagues who opposed his community release.
The record says the former colleague, with whom Ortis worked directly, “feels that you have never taken accountability for your offences and have failed to truly represent your intentions” concerning the offences.
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