A confidential “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)” communique came into the possession of the Canadian Premier, Justin Trudeau, in February. This classified document, which has been heavily redacted, descended upon public consumption via a freedom of information request. The document allows us an intimate look into the actions and reactions of the Canadian government pertaining to an unidentified object that was intercepted and taken down in northern Canada, in the Yukon region, on February 11. Per the secretive memo, the Yukon object marked the 23rd unidentified phenomena spotted over North America in the nascent weeks of 2023.
NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), employs a scheme wherein each unidentified object is assigned with a unique, sequential number annually, encompassing each and every detected object that fails immediate identification. As per their investigation, many of the unidentified objects are benign and pose no significant threat or necessity for further reporting. “Objecct #23” as it’s referred to, hasn’t been definitively linked with any nation-state or had its function or propulsion methodology determined.
Decades of dismissal and denial from U.S. authorities regarding such phenomena are now being supplanted with an investigative approach, with the Pentagon, NASA, and American lawmakers now probing these so-called “UAPs,” the official term for what the common populace refer to as “UFOs.”
The ill-famed “UAP #23” was part of a triad of unidentified objects brought down by fighter jets over North America earlier this year, coming on the heels of the interception of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon on February 4. To the public knowledge, all three objects were markedly smaller than the suspected 200-foot Chinese surveillance device. U.S. President Joe Biden has weighed in, stating these three mysterious objects are likely harmless and could possibly be private or research balloons.
On February 14, the memorandum meant for the Prime Minister, which was confidential and intended for a limited distribution was also forwarded to Trudeau’s national security advisor, Jody Thomas, and endorsed by Janice Charette, who held the influential position of the clerk of the Privy Council.
Canada’s Privy Council Office, the nerve center that governs the country’s public service, shoulders the responsibility of furnishing non-partisan assistance to the prime minister and cabinet for policy decisions.
The Yukon object was detected in the afternoon of February 11 and brought down that same day by a U.S. F-22 fighter jet, which recognized it as a “suspected balloon” of cylindrical shape.
Due to treacherous winter conditions and the secluded mountainous locale, operations to retrieve debris from the Yukon object were shelved on February 17.
Prominent censorship was enacted on the released memo in respect to sections of Canada’s Access to Information Act, correlating to national security and cabinet confidentiality.
Expert in aerospace engineering and director of the Center for National Security Initiatives, Iain Boyd, stated that the memorandum underlines the effective cooperation between Canadian and U.S. elements of Norad “without regards to national boundaries.”
Canada’s Department of National Defense chose not to reveal the number of unidentified objects that were detected over North America post the February events.
Irrespective of traditional military protocols, the Canadian military has clarified that it doesn’t generally investigate sightings of inexplicable phenomena outside the framework of probing credible threats, potential threats, or potential distress in the scenario of search and rescue.
March bore witness to the revelation that Canada’s highest-ranking scientist had embarked on the first formal Canadian UAP study in over 30 years. The effort, known as the Sky Canada Project, aims to comprehend the management of UAP reports “in Canada and to recommend improvements.” A finalize public report is anticipated by 2024.