Court documents filed by the RCMP allege that Delisle passed state secrets to a foreign agency over the span of more than four years, according to a report by the Toronto Sun newspaper.
Delisle worked at Canadian Forces Base Stadacona’s Trinity section, a naval communications and intelligence center in Halifax that was a multinational base with access to secret data from NATO countries.
Delisle, a married father of a young daughter and two boys allegedly committed the offenses between July 6, 2007, and Jan. 13, 2012, in Halifax, Ottawa and Kingston. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
The RCMP is being tight-lipped about the investigation and the charges. It has not disclosed the foreign country involved or the information that was allegedly leaked by Delisle. Defense sources consulted by the newspaper said the investigation has been restricted to a group of senior defense department officials who are not releasing any details.
This is the first time anyone has been prosecuted under section 16 of the Security of Information Act, according to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson. The section 16 prohibits Canadian citizens from communicating to a foreign entity or terrorist group information that the government is taking measures to safeguard.