The Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada is recommending that the Canadian government establish a new authority responsible for the standardization, collection and investigation of UFO reports from members of the public, commercial aviation and military sectors, as part of the Sky Canada Project.

Released under the title Management of Public Reporting of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in Canada, the report also recommends that the government encourage collaboration on the subject of UFOs between different agencies, both domestic and international, and to address the stigma surrounding the reporting of anomalous phenomena.

Canada is no stranger to UFO sightings, with a survey commissioned by the Project finding that “one in four respondents say they have personally witnessed a UAP in their lifetime.” However, these encounters largely go unreported, as the 600-to-1,000 reports that are estimated to be made each year only represent about 10 percent of the sightings that actually occur, while “40% of respondents would not know whom to contact for reporting.”

This lead the report to recommend that the government “establish a dedicated service” that “would collect testimonies, investigate cases and post its analyses publicly” and “proactively inform Canadians about UAPs,” although what federal department or agency” should be “responsible for managing public UAP data” has yet to be determined.

“Interestingly, a majority of respondents support the idea of establishing a federal government service to gather UAP reports and make findings publicly available,” the report found; Canada has not officially investigated UFOs since the National Research Council Canada (NRC)stopped collecting UFO reports in 1995.

This new service would be responsible for enhancing UFO reporting capacity in civil aviation, and calls on Transport Canada to “encourage pilots, cabin crews, and air traffic controllers to report UAP sightings without fear of stigmatization.” Using the collected data, the department “should analyze UAP reports to track trends and provide pilots with explanations, helping to reduce distractions during flights.”

The report also calls for improved communications when it comes to the subject of UFOs, including support for public dialogue; the promotion of “intra-governmental collaborations” to “ensure collaboration among all federal agencies”; improvement of media relations with the public; and to set up “a multidisciplinary expert panel… to advise the lead organization on effective approaches to countering misinformation and disinformation.”

Outside of Canada, partnerships with the service’s international counterparts, such as AARO and NASA in the U.S., or France’s GEIPAN (Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon Research and Information Group) should be established, to encourage “cooperation in research and communication” and “research collaborations and public awareness efforts.”

“A more structured approach to the management of UAP reporting in Canada would be beneficial on many grounds,” the report concludes. “It would enhance transparency and combat disinformation; it would also demonstrate Canada’s commitment to scientific rigour and inquiry. This will not only improve public trust but also position Canada alongside some of its allies as leaders in the global effort to elucidate the nature of UAPs.

“Adopting a science-based, collaborative approach will help address public concerns, demystify UAPs, and potentially reveal valuable insights into aerial phenomena that are currently unexplained.”

“UAP reports are deserving of scientific study in that they represent a real phenomenon that has been witnessed by reliable and responsible observers, and are thus a part of the human experience,” Winnipeg-based UFO investigator and author Chris Rutkowski told CTVNews.ca. The data from Rutkowski’s own research was used to inform Sky Canada Project’s report.

“While there have been offices dedicated to the UFO phenomenon in Canada in previous years, there currently does not appear to be any government agency, institution, or office where UAP reports are received and analysed for research,” Rutkowski added.