Sky Canada Project report (PDF)

REPORT OF THE SKY CANADA PROJECT# 41
F. Recommendations to
Enhance UAP Reporting and
Research in Canada
The Sky Canada Project highlights a significant gap in
Canada’s approach to UAP phenomena, as most fed-
eral entities lack the capacity, mandate or resources
to address this issue systematically. Public interest in
greater transparency and improved reporting mech-
anisms underscores the need for coordinated ac-
tion. Insights from non-governmental organizations,
citizen-driven groups, and independent journalists
reveal the enduring public fascination with UAPs
and the potential value of establishing more robust
frameworks for data collection and investigation.
The survey by Earnscliffe (see Appendix B) found that interest in
UAPs is generally moderate. However, half the respondents felt
that the Canadian government should do something about UAP
sightings and devote funds to the effort, including for investi-
gation. The majority of respondents felt that the government
should set up a service to enable Canadians to report their
sightings and attached importance to transparency of informa-
tion on the subject.
Moving forward, the Sky Canada Project serves as a crucial
foundation for discussions on enhancing federal oversight and
public engagement regarding UAPs. By fostering collaboration
across departments and with civilian organizations, Canada
can develop a more cohesive and transparent approach to
understanding and addressing these phenomena.
To enable thorough scientific studies of UAP sightings, a range
of data collection and investigative activities would be required.
For instance, standardized protocols should be established to
ensure data are comparable in their content and format. The
fragmented nature of UAP reporting across various depart-
ments and agencies in Canada complicates the application of
scientific principles. This lack of coordination results in incon-
sistent information collection across the government, making
it onerous—if not impossible—for researchers to access and
compile data for rigorous, science-based analysis. Additionally,
the fact that investigations of reporting are not easily available,
contributes to distrust and disinformation.
During the Sky Canada Project, the Office of the Chief Science
Advisor received about 250 inquiries from Canadians regarding
various aspects of the project, including inquiries about where
to report UAP sightings and requests for government assistance
to interpret photos and videos, despite the Sky Canada website
clearly stating that the Office was not offering that service nor
collecting such information.
Together, the analysis presented in this report suggests that
Canada would benefit from an improved process for reporting,
collecting, and studying UAP sightings. The approach should be
more rigorous, transparent and coordinated than is currently
the case.
The following actions are proposed for consideration by the
Government of Canada in order to: 1) improve coordination
and analysis of UAP reports in Canada, 2) promote public trust
and mitigate disinformation, 3) enhance scientific rigour and
science literacy surrounding UAPs, and 4) position Canada for
greater collaboration with other countries on a topic that has no
geographic borders:
Reporting and Data oversight:
1. Identify a lead: A federal department or agency responsi-
ble for managing public UAP data should be identified. The
lead should be a trusted and recognized scientific organiza-
tion, have the capacity to communicate with the public and
an already established international scientific network. For
example, the Canadian Space Agency could be considered
for such a role.
2. Establish a dedicated service: This service would collect
testimonies, investigate cases and post its analyses pub-
licly. It would proactively inform Canadians about UAPs. To
achieve these goals, it could convene a network of govern-
ment and academic partners and experts to conduct scien-
tific analyses and follow up with witnesses. The example of
GEIPAN in France is worth considering.
3. Enhance reporting capacity in civil aviation: Transport
Canada should encourage pilots, cabin crews and air traffic
controllers to report UAP sightings without fear of stigma-
tization. In collaboration with NAV CANADA, they should
analyze UAP reports to track trends and provide pilots with
explanations, helping to reduce distractions during flights.
These reports could be correlated and merged with those
submitted by the public on similar sightings.
Communications:
4. Support public dialogue: A proactive strategy to increase
transparency and communication with the public regard-
ing UAPs should be developed. Such a strategy could bring
together trusted publicly facing organizations, including
science centres and museums, as well as public libraries.
5. Promote intra-governmental collaborations: An internal
directive to ensure collaboration among all federal agencies
with relevant expertise or data would aid the lead organiza-
tion in providing explanations to witnesses and correlating
recent observations with previous reports. Additionally,
since some departments would continue to receive reports
under their mandates (for example, Transport Canada or the
RCMP), they should be encouraged to forward their data as
appropriate to the lead organization.
6. Improve media relations: The lead organization should play
a significant role in mitigating misinformation and disinfor-
mation by responding to public and media inquiries related
to UAPs, and by documenting and communicating com-
mon misinterpretations of observations. Examples of such
approaches, including interactive digital tools, are found in
other countries.
7. Promote application of up-to-date evidence to effective-
ly address misinformation and disinformation: Among
others, a multidisciplinary expert panel should be set up
to advise the lead organization on effective approaches to
countering misinformation and disinformation.
Commercial aircraft at
Vancouver Airport. More than
100,000 flights take place
every day around the world.