The ''Security of Information Act'' (R.S.C. 1985, c. O-5), formerly known as the ''Official Secrets Act'', is an Act of the
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
that addresses
national security
National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
concerns, including threats of
espionage by foreign powers and
terrorist groups, and the intimidation or coercion of ethnocultural communities in and against Canada.
Key provisions of the Act
Certain departments ('Scheduled department') and classes of people (past and current employees) are 'permanently bound to secrecy' under the Act. These are individuals who should be held to a higher level of accountability for unauthorized disclosures of information obtained in relation to their work. For example, Military Intelligence, employees of
Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS),
Communications Security Establishment and certain members of the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
This act applies to anyone who has been granted
security clearance by the Federal Government, including those who have been granted Reliability Status for accessing designated information. Previously, only 'classified' information was protected under the ''Official Secrets Act'' 1981.
Convictions
The first conviction and sentencing under the ''Security of Information Act'' was handed down in February, 2013.
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
Jeffrey Delisle
Jeffrey Paul Delisle (born March 30, 1971) is a former Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy who passed sensitive information from the top-secret STONEGHOST intelligence sharing network to the Russian spy agency GRU. Delisle's actions have ...
was convicted for selling
top secret Canadian military intelligence to the
Embassy of Russia in Ottawa
The Embassy of Russia in Canada is the Russian embassy in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located at 285 Charlotte Street (also known as Free Ukraine Street), at the eastern terminus of Laurier Avenue, built by W.E. Noffke. To the south it looks out ...
.
See also
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Security clearances in Canada
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Information classification in Canada
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Information security
References
External links
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{{Canadian law
Canadian federal legislation
2001 in Canadian law