The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.
The U-S says it is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U-S airspace for a few days.
The Pentagon says it decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people on the ground.
The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces issued a joint statement Thursday night saying the balloon's movements were being actively tracked by the North American Aerospace Defence Command.
The statement doesn't mention China or state whether the surveillance balloon flew over Canadian airspace.
It says Canadians are safe and that Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident.
A senior U-S defence official says the U-S has ``very high confidence'' it is a Chinese high-altitude balloon, and said it was flying over sensitive sites to collect information.
China said Friday it was looking into the reports, and urged calm.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson told a daily briefing that China has always strictly abided by international laws, and has no intention to violate the territory and airspace of any sovereign countries.