Canadian Military’s Surveillance System Should Be Better Equipped as China Sends Spy Balloons, Says Poilievre

A balloon flies in the sky over Billings, Montana, on Feb. 1, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. Chase Doak/via REUTERS

The Canadian military’s surveillance systems should be better equipped to detect foreign incursions in Canada’s airspace following the spotting of a Chinese spy balloon in the northern United States, says Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre.

“Why is it that our security and military apparatus does not have the ability to detect these kinds of unacceptable actions?” Poilievre said during an interview with NTD Television, sister media of The Epoch Times, on Feb. 3.

The Tory leader accused the Liberal government, which has been in power since 2015, of allowing Canada to become “more vulnerable” than ever “to foreign regimes that try to spy on and interfere with our country.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a press conference in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 25, 2023.The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, on Nov. 24, 2022. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

He was referring to a high-altitude surveillance balloon spotted hovering in American airspace near Billings, Montana, that the Pentagon said was “most certainly” launched by Beijing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in response to the incident that she has spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and  that the Canadian government is “collaborating with our American partners and continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard Canada’s sensitive information.” Earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department said that Blinken has decided to postpone his upcoming trip to Beijing over the incident.

The Department of National Defence (DND) said it is working with Washington to track the balloon while also monitoring a “potential second incident.”

The Epoch Times asked DND if the balloon entered Canadian airspace, but didn’t receive a response. A report by Global News citing sources says the balloon spent some time in Canadian airspace.

Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that it has summoned China’s ambassador, Cong Peiwu, to explain the balloon’s presence.

Chinese authorities have confirmed the balloon is from China, but say it was launched by a civilian for weather-research purposes and flew off course.

Surveillance

The incident comes after Auditor General Karen Hogan warned in November 2022 that Canada’s northern surveillance equipment is outdated and “incomplete,” leaving both the Canadian Armed Forces and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) handicapped in their efforts to monitor possible foreign incursions.

Hogan said in an audit that the federal government has failed for years to take “the required action to address long‑standing gaps affecting its surveillance of Canada’s Arctic waters.”

NORAD’s deputy commander, Gen. Alain Pelletier, told a Parliamentary committee prior to Hogan’s audit that Canada’s ability to detect Chinese and Russian aerial incursions in the Arctic is “very limited.”

He added that NORAD’s North Warning System is in urgent need of modernization, as it was designed in the 1980s.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra responded to Hogan’s audit by saying that Canada is committed to addressing “long-standing gaps in Arctic maritime domain awareness.”

“It’s not accurate to say that it’s wide open and it’s not being monitored. It’s being monitored,” Alghabra told reporters on Nov. 15, 2022, adding, “The auditor general highlighted areas of improvement.”

Mimi Nguyen Ly and NTD’s Vivian Yu contributed to this report.