Defense Minister Anita Anand said the federal government is studying whether Canada should join the United States in defending against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Anand said at a conference hosted by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute that the government is "taking a full and comprehensive look" at ballistic missile defense as part of a broader review of what is required to better protect North America from potential attacks.

Canada clearly chose to withdraw from the U.S. missile defense program after a very heated national dialogue in 2005.

However, the question remains whether Canada should reconsider this issue due to concerns about North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal and rising tensions with Russia.

Anand also promised more details soon on how Canada and the United States will work to improve North America's overall defenses.