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Opposition Parties Seeking Clarity from Liberals on Chinese Balloon Incident
OTTAWA – Opposition parties say the public deserves responses about a Chinese balloon incursion over Canadian territory as the Trudeau government remains largely mum about its time in Canada.
That call for answers came on Monday, when the commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command revealed that “gaps” in the continent’s early warning system had prevented officials from spotting such balloons in the past.
Defense Secretary Anita Anand has confirmed the balloon violated Canadian airspace, but the government has otherwise declined to provide details on when and where the balloon flew in Canada and if there were others.
That is in contrast to Washington, which provided details of the balloon’s flight from Alaska through Canada and into the continental US before it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Sunday.
“The Pentagon and the White House have been much more open about what happened,” said conservative defense critic James Bezan. “As a country whose airspace has been violated by the Chinese Communist Party, we deserve answers.”
Opposition parties also want to know why the public only found out about the balloon after it had left Canadian airspace, why it wasn’t stopped sooner and what steps are being taken to deter and punish Chinese spy efforts.
“It is high time the government took action to counter Chinese influence and modernize Canada’s defense systems,” Bloc Québécois defense critic Christine Normandin said in a statement in French.
“Moreover, this event must be clarified and the government must provide answers to the population regarding the impact of this spy balloon.”
The US military first confirmed the balloon’s presence after it was publicly reported over Montana on February 1. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin later announced that he was first spotted on January 28 entering US airspace in Alaska.
While Beijing says it was a weather research balloon that went off course, Ottawa and Washington claim it was used to spy on sensitive military sites.
Norad’s commander, US Gen. Glen VanHerck, told reporters that such balloons have historically evaded detection by North America’s aging early warning system because a “domain awareness gap” has since been closed.
“So there was a potential opportunity for us to gather information where we had gaps in previous balloons,” he said. “This gave us an opportunity to assess what they were actually doing, what kind of capabilities were on the balloon.”
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that the US military had begun collecting debris from the balloon.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said Canada should be part of any investigation into the wreck.
“People are rightly concerned that Canada’s economic and security advantages may be at risk,” Singh said in a statement. “Canada should play an active role in investigating the purpose of the vehicle and ascertaining any information gathered.”
Anand’s office has not responded to repeated questions about when the balloon entered Canadian airspace from Alaska or how long it stayed in Canada before rejoining the United States via Idaho. It was also not said if there were other balloons.
Defense Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said only that Canadian and US officials, after determining that the balloon posed no threat, decided to disclose the balloon’s presence “at an appropriate time, having regard to operational safety.”
Bezan acknowledged Canada’s partnership with the US in defending North America, but said Canadians have a right to know what is happening in their country.
“It seemed like it was positioning itself over various military installations in the United States,” he added, noting that Alberta is home to major Canadian military bases at Cold Lake, Edmonton and Wainwright.
“What Canadian secrets might have been spied on by the communist regime as they flew over our airspace?”
VanHerck said the US took “maximum precautions” to prevent the balloon from gathering intelligence as it traversed the nation. He did not want to give details.
US officials said the balloon is 60 meters high and the sensor payload underneath is the size of a regional jet. They also said it had propellers and a rudder to change direction and speed, but relied mostly on the winch.
Kirby also dismissed China’s claim that the balloon was for meteorological purposes, saying, “It strains credulity…that this was some kind of weather balloon floating on the winds.”
The White House said the balloon was a setback for already strained relations with Beijing. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken was due to visit China on Monday but the trip was suspended over the incident.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on February 6, 2023.
— With files from The Associated Press.
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
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