Transport Canada UAP Protocol — Official Reporting Framework

Canada has maintained one of the longest-running official government UAP investigation frameworks of any nation. The National Research Council of Canada formally studied UAP reports beginning in 1950, pre-dating Project Blue Book. The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) maintained UAP investigation records through the 1950s–1980s, thousands of which were declassified and transferred to Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Transport Canada implemented a formal protocol for pilots and air traffic controllers to report 'unidentified flying objects' as part of its aviation safety reporting framework. The Transport Canada protocol defines UAP as any aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified and requires it to be reported through standard aviation safety report channels. This integration into aviation safety reporting — rather than treating UAP as a separate or unofficial category — makes the Canadian framework one of the most institutionally normalized of any national aviation authority. Library and Archives Canada holds thousands of declassified DND and NRC UAP investigation files spanning 1950–1995. The Canadian approach, driven by aviation safety rather than defense intelligence, has produced a comprehensive public record. The US AARO framework drew on the Canadian protocol model when designing its military reporting requirements.