Unidentified flying objects pose a national security concern despite past federal conclusions that they represent no threat, according to internal documents from the office of Canada’s Chief Science Advisor.Blacklock's Reporter says in a 2023 memo obtained through Access To Information, Dr. Mona Nemer’s office warned of the risk of “undetected intrusions” into Canadian airspace.“Motivation: national security,” read the note. The document said UFO research could help “support surveillance activities within Canadian territory,” though it did not elaborate on what specific threats might exist..Nemer assigned seven staff members to a project called Sky Canada to gather data on UFOs, also referred to as unidentified aerial phenomena. No final report from the project has been released publicly.Sky Canada was not designed to collect physical evidence like photos or videos. Instead, it aimed to “support citizen science,” “give access to collected information to prevent conspiracy theories,” and document rare natural phenomena. The memo made clear the project was not intended to confirm or disprove the existence of extraterrestrial life. No budget for the initiative has been disclosed..Records show the federal government previously amassed more than 9,500 reports and investigations on UFO sightings between 1947 and 1978, mostly during the Cold War. These efforts were discontinued in 1995 as a cost-cutting measure. “The National Research Council became involved in 1967 when the sightings were deemed to not be a threat but of scientific interest,” said the memo.At a 2024 appearance before the House of Commons science committee, Nemer defended her office’s renewed interest in the subject. “The reason we have taken this on is not because we believe one way or the other about extraterrestrials,” she said. “It’s because we believe it’s important that we have a scientific approach and transparency in how we assemble the information precisely to avoid any conspiracy theories.”Despite the security framing in internal documents, a $34,369 opinion survey commissioned by Nemer’s office in 2024 found little public concern. Only 10% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement that UFOs present a flight safety issue in Canada.
