HARBOUR MILLE, N.L. — The Prime Minister Office says there is no evidence of anyone firing a rocket near Newfoundland’s southern coast.
“There is no indication that there was ever a rocket launch,” Dimitri Soudas, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said Thursday in an email.
But a Liberal MP is accusing Ottawa of failing to provide answers on the mysterious sightings from earlier this week.
Gerry Byrne, the MP for Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte, said Thursday he had received no further information on the missile-like objects seen earlier this week.
“The objective here should be to dispel rumours and conspiracy theories,” he said from Corner Brook, N.L.
“It’s not making any sense and nobody’s providing any real answers, so questions are mounting.”
Originally on Wednesday, the RCMP said questions about the alleged missile sightings were being handled by Public Safety Canada, which had no comment other than to refer questions back to the RCMP. Then on Thursday, that federal department referred questions to the PMO.
“The PMO has made a definitive statement, and I will not be adding to it,” said Christopher McCLuskey of Public Safety Canada in an email to The Canadian Press.
The ongoing confusion arose when a woman in Harbour Mille claimed she was outside taking pictures of the sunset Monday when she saw something fly overhead.
Darlene Stewart said she then alerted two neighbours and they saw three similar objects flying through the air.
Stewart’s photo shows a long, rocket-like projectile cruising through the sky with a trail of flames and smoke behind it, but it’s difficult to tell how big it is and how close it is to shore.
A radio station in St. John’s said a French media outlet reported that France had conducted a ballistic missile test in the Atlantic Ocean, but far from the area where something was seen.
No one from the French Embassy in Ottawa was available for comment.
A spokesman for the Canadian Forces said they were aware of the reports and have confirmed there have been no planned missile exercises off the seaboard.
“There’s no threat to the security of Canada,” Maj. Jason Proulx said from Ottawa.
Byrne said he’s concerned for the safety of residents if missile tests are being done and no one is being told about them.