At one point in our not-too-distant history, Canada was recognized by our allies as playing an important role in intelligence. During the Cold War by pure happenstance thanks to our geography, we kept tabs on Soviet military activity over the North Pole, thanks to a Canadian Armed Forces listening station in Alert on Ellesmere Island. Our contribution was critical to monitoring the threat from the USSR, including the horrendous possibility of the launch of nuclear missiles targeting North America.
