Public Safety Minister LeBlanc says he's 'obviously worried' about latest alleged RCMP leak

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday he’s troubled by news that an Alberta Mountie has been charged with sharing protected policing information with the Rwandan government — the latest such accusation to be levelled at a member of the RCMP.

“I’m obviously worried about that. Everybody should be worried about that,” said the minister, whose portfolio includes the national police force.

“Is the RCMP constantly looking at what they need to do internally to detect and correct these circumstances, and hold to account those that may be tempted to breach these rules? Of course they are.”

The RCMP this week alleged Const. Eli Ndatuje “accessed non-top secret RCMP records systems in order to assist a foreign actor.”

Court records show Ndatuje is accused of sending “safeguarded information on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system to a foreign entity, to wit the Republic of Rwanda.” Ndatuje faces three charges, including one of violating the Security of Information Act.

The charges came a week after Cameron Ortis, a former high-ranking civilian RCMP member, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for trying to sell classified information to police targets.

Former RCMP intelligence official Cameron Ortis was convicted of leaking special operational information. (Allison Cake/CBC/Canadain Press)

Retired RCMP officer William Majcher was charged with foreign interference last summer; he was granted bail Tuesday afternoon. The RCMP alleges he “used his knowledge and his extensive network of contacts in Canada to obtain intelligence or services to benefit the People’s Republic of China.”

It also alleges Majcher “contributed to the Chinese government’s efforts to identify and intimidate an individual outside the scope of Canadian law.” Both alleged offences fall under the Security of Information Act.

After a jury found Ortis guilty, the RCMP acknowledged that “mistakes were made” and introduced swifter internal security measures and employee training on detecting “insider threats” — the term used for employees who use their authorized access or understanding of an organization to cause harm.

“I know the RCMP are reviewing [those security measures] and strengthening [them],” said LeBlanc.

“The circumstance in Alberta was a result of their own internal processes. That’s how this was discovered.”

LeBlanc said he has spoken to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme about the arrest in Alberta. He said he didn’t want to disclose details because the case is still before the courts.