OTTAWA—The RCMP have charged one of their own with spilling special operational information and breach of trust.

The national police force charged Cameron Ortis with three counts under the rarely-used Security of Information Act, which governs how officials handle top secret information.

Ortis also faces two breaches of the Criminal Code, including breach of trust and the unauthorized use of a computer.

"The charges stem from activities alleged to have occurred during his tenure as an RCMP employee," the RCMP said in a statement Friday. "As this investigation is ongoing, we will not be making any other comment at this time."

Ortis is charged with intentionally communicating special operational information, obtaining information and possessing a device or software to conceal information or surreptitiously communicate it.

Ortis' position within the RCMP could not immediately be confirmed, but Global News, citing an unnamed source, reported he was the director general of an intelligence unit at RCMP headquarters in Ottawa.

The RCMP refused further comment. A spokesperson for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, which handles counterintelligence investigations, deferred to the RCMP.

Ortis obtained a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of British Columbia roughly 10 years ago, according to Brian Job, who supervised Ortis' thesis.

Job had not heard about the charges facing his former student when contacted by the Star Friday afternoon. Job said his contact with Ortis had been limited over the past decade to occasional dinners or coffee dates. When asked if he was surprised about the allegations, Job said "absolutely, yes."

"Cameron was incredibly careful not to provide information regarding the specifics of his responsibilities within the RCMP" during those meetings, Job said.

"Nothing in my relationship with him over the years would lead to any sense that I would have that he was possibly or allegedly implicated in what you say he is."

Job said Ortis' thesis revolved around the internet and its impact on governments and states. The prevailing view at the time was that the internet would be a democratizing force in the world, opening up closed states. Ortis took the opposite view, Job said, arguing that states would be able to control the internet more and more.

Alex Boutilier is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @alexboutilier