Former MP Talks About UFOs
Written by Logan Crowell, Staff Writer
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
According to the Ufology Research of Manitoba, there were over 700 unidentified flying object sightings in Canada during 2005. This was the second highest amount ever recorded, surpassed only by the year before. Around 92 per cent of annual sightings are either explained or unreliable. The remaining eight per cent, however, are considered high-quality, unexplained cases. They are the cases that have the potential to be authentic alien sightings.
Most UFO sightings receive no media attention and even less scientific inquiry. They lack credible, influential support. Without it, the believers are largely left on their own with little hope of proving the sightings as anything alien. So when Paul Hellyer, the former Canadian defence minister, announced that he had seen a UFO and believed it to be of alien origin, there was quite a ruckus.
The revelation was made by Hellyer in 2005 while giving a speech at an Exopolitics conference in Toronto. Exopolitics is the study of relations between humans and extraterrestrials, and the conference was held to discuss this. According to one Exopolitics website (www.exopolitics.com), most supporters of Exopolitics organizations believe aliens have already reached Earth and the time has come to address the issue of communicating with them.
So Hellyer, a member of both the Pearson and Trudeau cabinets, called on world governments to reveal that they have, over the years, located several alien vessels. The speech, currently available on Google Video, was met with thunderous applause. The nature of Hellyer's status instantly granted the Exopolitics organization the credentials it needed to be taken more seriously.
Following the speech, Hellyer did little to push world governments to follow his request until 2007. Speaking to the Ottawa Citizen in February, Hellyer stated he believed that the alien crafts that are found presented solutions for the climate crisis. If governments would admit what they had then, Hellyer claimed the problem may be solved.
"We need to persuade governments to come clean on what they know. Some of us suspect they know quite a lot, and it might be enough to save our planet if applied quickly enough," Hellyer said. It was a brave claim for the 83-year-old who is best known for merging the Canadian military units into the Canadian Forces.
Hellyer's comments made national and international headlines for their audacity. The timing of Hellyer's claim, however, was chosen to coincide with the release of a film called Fastwalkers. The film, sponsored by Exopolitics Toronto, compiles over 30 eyewitness accounts detailing the international government conspiracy hiding actual UFO debris. The group claims that the film features witnesses ranging from "intelligence officials, to major airline pilots, nuclear and optical physicists," among others. It is meant, along with Hellyer's claims, to generate a public outcry. If correct, the Exopolitics supporters would force major governments to reveal their UFO findings, and world problems such as global warming could be solved.
It is possible, however, that even if there were alien crafts currently held by world powers, they would fail to provide answers. Dr. Michael DeRobertis, York University professor and member of the Skeptics Canada Society for Critical Inquiry, says that he sees the challenge of reverse engineering alien technology as far beyond current human capacity.
"Suppose we could transport ourselves back in time 40 to 50,000 years ago ( . . . ) and we dropped off our watch with our earliest ancestors. They wouldn't have a clue what it was for. They may have some idea that it required mechanical design, but they would not have a clue," he stated. "The idea that any alien race that could make it here (to Earth), that we could make sense of (their technology), is pushing it a great deal." Accurate or not, the urge for true alien contact remains strong. Speculating on potential reasons for the strength of the alien urge, DeRobertis touched a note very similar to one of the claims made in the film Fastwalkers.
"At the same time as religious authority ( . . . ) has subsided, we have an increase in the number of people who are still seeking these transcendental urges ( . . . ) under the guise of science," he explained.
Fastwalkers' press release describes the film as exploring "some of the spiritual and religious implications of the disclosure of extraterrestrial life." The yearning for spirituality seems undeniably interconnected with the yearning for alien contact.
Whether there have indeed been alien visitors or not, the implications of such a visit have already begun to inspire humans to act. For Exopolitics Toronto, the inspiration has led to pieces such as Fastwalkers. Through the film, they hope to build their case and help others to believe. Furthermore, the appeal of supporters such as Hellyer is strong. The chance to add credibility to an incredible claim is invaluable.
For the scientific community, however, the name makes little difference.
"Many people would just love to be assured that we are not alone," said DeRobertis. "That there is a purpose to the universe."
Ultimately, however, he argued that an overwhelming majority of scientists would say there is no compelling evidence for extraterrestrials visiting our planet.