Paul Hellyer (1923–2021) was a prominent Canadian figure known for his significant political career and his later-life advocacy for UFO disclosure and extraterrestrial research.
Born in Waterford, Ontario, Hellyer served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. After the war, he completed a BA at the University of Toronto while running a small business. In 1949, at just 25 years old, Hellyer was elected as the youngest Member of Parliament at the time, representing the Davenport riding.
During his tenure as the Minister of National Defence from 1963 to 1967, Hellyer spearheaded the unification of Canada's armed forces, creating a single Canadian Armed Forces entity.
Hellyer oversaw the government's response to the growing public interest in UFOs, a period marked by several high-profile cases like the Falcon Lake incident. According to Hellyer, there was little communication between government departments concerning UFOs while in office. Towards the end of his tenure, Hellyer did engage with the UFO phenomenon publicly: In 1967, he opened the UFO landing pad in St. Paul, Alberta, which the Canadian government had declared the "Centennial Capital".
After his time as Minister, Hellyer remained very active in politics and became more vocal about his belief in extraterrestrial life and the reality of the UFO phenomenon. Hellyer garnered international attention in the 2000s for his vocal beliefs in extraterrestrial life and government cover-ups. At the 2005 Exopolitics Toronto Symposium, he became the first high-ranking government official to publicly state his belief in UFOs, claiming they were real and being actively investigated by global governments. Hellyer argued that advanced alien technologies had already been shared with humanity, influencing modern innovations.
He continued advocating for disclosure, participating in forums like the 2013 Citizen Hearing on Disclosure in Washington, D.C., where he called for an end to the "truth embargo" on extraterrestrials.
On August 12, 2017, HANNIBAL TV recorded an In-Depth interview on Disclosure with Hellyer which can be viewed below. During the discussion, he reflects on his career in government and shares insights into his relationships with three Canadian Prime Ministers. Hellyer expresses his conviction that the U.S. government possesses extensive knowledge about UFOs and extraterrestrial beings that it has withheld from the public. He discusses his belief in alien interest in Earth's nuclear capabilities, his views on the media's tendency to dismiss UFOs as a trivial topic, and his responses to criticism of his unconventional beliefs.
Paul Hellyer passed away in 2021.
The Canadian Encyclopedia. "Paul Hellyer." Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-hellyer
Vice News. "Paul Hellyer on UFOs, Alien Technology, and Disclosure." Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.vice.com/en/article/paul-hellyer-interview-ufo.
Hayes, Matthew. Search for the Unknown: Canada’s UFO Files and the Rise of Conspiracy Theory. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022. https://www.amazon.ca/Search-Canadas-Files-Conspiracy-Theory/dp/0228010748
Hayes, Matthew. A History of Canada's UFO Investigation, 1950-1995. Trent University, 2018.https://digitalcollections.trentu.ca/objects/etd-776