National Defence committee  What particular object are you talking about?

National Defence committee  In terms of the exploitation of the first object, I'm not sure of the timelines. You are correct that it's being led by the FBI in the U.S. system. In terms of restarting the search once the snow is gone, this is a Public Safety responsibility. If the decision is made to restart it, I expect we would be asked to support that, given our assets.

National Defence committee  Yes. In these cases, the Prime Minister is the engagement authority and I'm the one who briefs him on these incidents. Specifically with the shoot-down in Yukon, I briefed him, gave him the engagement parameters and received his permission to go back to NORAD and give them the green light.

National Defence committee  For clarification, is that independent from NORAD?

National Defence committee  That's a question where we would have to look at the specifics of where it occurred and what the incursion was, so I cannot give a definitive answer.

National Defence committee  With regard to the first object, we need to realize that this was the first time that we had encountered an incident like this. The assessment was very important to get a better understanding, a better characterization, of what it was, what it was gathering and what threat it actually posed.

National Defence committee  We've had this challenge for a long time. NORAD modernization is going to plug that gap.

National Defence committee  Yes, that is my understanding of the situation.

National Defence committee  The Far North.

National Defence committee  Yes, that's why we're modernizing NORAD, including equipping it with OTHR radar. Of all the NORAD modernization projects, I think that one is the most important.

National Defence committee  I don't know all the details of the project. Perhaps Mr. Quinn would have something to add.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, with respect to the first high-altitude balloon, we monitored it as it traversed Canadian airspace, in order to get an awareness of what infrastructure it went over. When it was first detected, intercepted and characterized by NORAD over Alaska, the assessment from the commander of NORAD was that it did not pose a kinetic threat to North America.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, there's a lot to that question. In terms of holding up our part of the bargain with NORAD, remember that the role of NORAD is airspace domain awareness and control. That's why NORAD modernization is so important, with the radar, with weapons systems for the fighters, with the tankers and with the infrastructure to be able to put our fighters further up in the north and have them pre-positioned.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, I do not have the answer for that.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, before I turn this over, perhaps, to the deputy minister or Mr. Quinn, I will say that we value our Five Eyes intelligence-sharing arrangement. We share intelligence back and forth all the time, and likewise with NATO. These relationships, from a defensive security perspective, are vital for Canada.