On Parliament Hill

Like something out of a movie, multiple unidentified objects of an (as yet) unknown origin have violated Canadian and US airspace in recent days.

Over the past two weeks there have been four unauthorized incursions into North American airspace, including two confirmed incidents where Canada’s airspace was violated.

These four incursions have all resulted in the objects in question being shot down by the US military, beginning with the downing of the Chinese surveillance balloon off the coast of South Carolina, followed by the shoot down of unidentified objects over Alaska, the Yukon and Lake Huron.

These multiple and unequivocal violations of our national sovereignty should be a wake-up call for the Trudeau Liberals who have failed to combat growing threats.

These incursions also raise numerous questions.

We know the first object (the balloon) was of Chinese origin. Are all these objects coming from China? If so, what is the launch point? Are these objects being launched from overseas? From a ship or submarine? From an aircraft? Or from some unknown location within Canada?

Why did it require a US fighter aircraft to shoot down this object in Canadian airspace? Moreover, given that the first missile fired missed its target and its whereabouts are currently unknown what steps are being taken to recover this (potentially unexploded) ordinance?

If the later objects were not balloons (as attested to by the pilot) what were they? Is espionage their purpose? Or is there something more sinister? Is China simply engaging in a geopolitical game of chicken, seeing how far they can push the west before we retaliate?

The crucial question, how do we respond?

What is our response if, for example, one of these objects took down a Canadian airliner? Given the height and trajectory we’ve witnessed so far, this is not outside the realm of possibility.

If China is, indeed, behind these incidents, will the PM finally admit that China poses a threat to Canada?

To date, Justin Trudeau and his team have been so busy trying to cozy up to China, they have failed to recognize the threat posed by the regime.

The PM has stated his admiration for China’s basic dictatorship. He has hosted cash-for-access fundraisers with Chinese billionaires. Just last week it came to light that International Trade Minister Mary Ng had hired a former Liberal Minister CSIS had advised the government to avoid due to his close ties to Chinese diplomats to help run her last campaign.

During Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Prime Minister, China has been responsible for hacking Canada’s National Research Council, of holding Canadians hostage, of interfering in the 2021 election, of setting up illegal police stations on Canadian soil to spy on and harass Chinese Canadians. Chinese spies with ties to the Peoples Liberation Army’s bioweapons wing infiltrated our top security National Microbiology Lab and transported dangerous pathogens to the Wuhan lab before disappearing – an incident the government continues to cover up.

Justin Trudeau needs to get it through his head that China is not our friend.

We must also face the reality that, when it comes to foreign threats, our options are extremely limited.After seven years of Justin Trudeau, Canada has been left in a position where we cannot defend ourselves.

The failure to upgrade our early warning systems, the failure to counter foreign interference, the failure to properly fund the Canadian Forces (particularly to mitigate threats in the North) and the failure to acquire modern fighter aircraft, have all made Canadians less safe. Much as Canada wants to continue helping Ukraine – especially given the threat Russia poses to Canada’s own Arctic sovereignty – the reality is we are way overextended in what we have given, to the detriment of our own military response capabilities.

Conservatives will continue to call for strong action to counter these threats with a stronger military, better intelligence and strengthened alliances with fellow democracies.