Why didn’t Canada shoot down a Chinese spy balloon? Defence minister explains
Global News
Anita Anand did not say where the Chinese spy balloon first entered Canadian airspace, what locations it passed over, or for how long it hovered overhead before entering the U.S.
Ottawa was “examining the trajectory and analyzing” a Chinese spy balloon last week before it decided not to shoot it down, the national defence minister says.
Anita Anand explained to reporters in Washington on Friday that the Canadian government was closely monitoring the balloon with the United States via NORAD, the continental defence alliance between both countries, throughout its entire flight before the U.S. shot it down last weekend.
But why didn’t Canada decide to shoot it down when it was in Canadian airspace?
“We were examining the trajectory and analyzing the balloon, including the height of the balloon and the contents of the balloon, and determined that it posed no imminent risk to Canadians at all,” Anand said. She met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon as she wrapped up a two-day visit to Washington with Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.
“We were watching it very carefully to ensure we were doing what is necessary to protect Canadians, and we’re doing that in the context of the NORAD relationship, of course, so that when the United States made that decision to shoot it down, Secretary Austin did thank Canada because we were making these decisions jointly about imminent threats.”
The balloon was shot down by a U.S. military fighter jet on Saturday over the sea near South Carolina.
NORAD began tracking the balloon as it approached U.S. airspace, the Pentagon said Wednesday. It passed north of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands on Jan. 28 and moved largely over land across Alaska and then into Canadian airspace before crossing back into the U.S. over northern Idaho on Jan. 31.
Anand did not say Friday where the balloon was when it first entered Canadian airspace, or what locations it passed over and for how long it was over Canada before heading south.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
A B.C. underwater cinematographer staged an elaborate and unique wedding proposal at the bottom of the ocean and captured it all on film.
Saskatchewan's Health Ministry has issued overdose alerts for both Regina and Saskatoon after first responders saw a high number of overdoses and dangerous drugs in the last week.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to greet world leaders when they arrive at the Calgary airport for the G7 summit in Kananaskis.
CN Rail says it has been working on proposals for long-term flood prevention since 2017, but Parks Canada has allegedly held up an impact assessment for nearly eight years.
This year's fire season — the second worst since the 2023 wildfire season — has seen wildfires consume 3.7 million hectares, six times the area of Prince Edward Island.
A massive wildfire near Sandy Lake is "like a sleeping giant," says MPP Sol Mamakwa. Over 2,000 evacuees fled as Red Lake 12 grows past 160,000 hectares.
Quebec says the number of homes in the province's new flood prevention framework will likely increase to 35,000 from about 25,000.
Premier Tim Houston weighed in on Halifax's bike lane discussion by saying the mayor was 'on the right track' when he tried to get council to pause construction on new lanes.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is calling on Israel and Iran to de-escalate tensions after the former launched strikes at Tehran late Thursday.
The government of Canada has upgraded its safety and security advisory for travellers visiting the Los Angeles area and some other U.S. cities due to ongoing demonstrations.
It could cost nearly $10 billion to build a transmission line that would connect Nova Scotia's proposed offshore wind farms with the rest of the country, Premier Tim Houston says.
Kendrick Lamar stepped onto Drake’s turf on Thursday, playing his first concert in Toronto since the rift between the music superstars went into hyperdrive last year.
A former Nova Scotia police detective says he believes the search for two missing children in Pictou County that has lasted more than a month is now a criminal investigation.