Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar was arrested on Dec. 10 and faces multiple charges, including for passing on information to a “Foreign Entity.”
The investigation, which began in 2024, was conducted jointly by the Canadian Forces Military Police and the RCMP. Authorities said the investigation “focused on the unauthorized disclosure of safeguarded information to a Foreign Entity.”
The Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act has recently replaced the Security of Information Act, after the government in 2024 introduced new tools to combat foreign interference under Bill C-70. The move came during an ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference, launched following extensive media coverage based on intelligence leaks about China’s meddling in Canada’s affairs.
Robar’s case will be prosecuted in the military justice system by court martial. The Department of National Defence notes that all accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“The protection of national security relies on collaboration and precision. The success of this operation demonstrates the strength of joint policing efforts and what can be achieved when agencies and organizations work together toward a common goal,” Brigadier-General Vanessa Hanrahan, Canadian Forces provost marshal, said in a statement.
A spokesperson with the Canadian Armed Forces said that no further information about the case will be released at this point.
“To protect the integrity of the future judicial process and the sensitivities surrounding the investigation into matters concerning national security, no further information will be provided on the details of the investigation,” Capt. Suzanne Doe told The Epoch Times in an email.
The last time a member of the Canadian military was convicted of espionage was in 2012, when former Royal Canadian Navy sub-lieutenant Jeffrey Delisle pleaded guilty to selling secrets about Canada and its allies to Russia. He was released on parole in 2019 after serving one-third of his 20-year prison sentence.
In 2024, former senior RCMP officer Cameron Ortis, who was director general of the National Intelligence Coordination Centre, was found guilty of leaking secret information to police targets, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Also in that year, Alberta RCMP officer Eli Ndatuje was arrested on charges of leaking protected information to the Rwandan government.
