Former prime minister Jean Chretien, during a speech commemorating the 25-year anniversary of Sept. 11, delivered what he called “a message for our American friends.” “Never mistake our generosity for weakness,” he said. “We embrace our friends, and we help them in their moment of need. But we bow to no one. And the more we are insulted and threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united,” he later added to applause in the room. “I say that not in anger, but as one friend to another.” Chretien was one of several speakers participating in a memorial event in Gander, N.L., where locals took in thousands of travellers who were grounded during the 9/11 terror attack on New York City. U.S. authorities closed American airspace following the attack, forcing all planes to land. Thirty-eight aircraft touched down in Gander, a town of roughly 10,000. Nearly 7,000 passengers were left stranded. Gander residents stepped up to provide shelter to the new arrivals, putting them in hundreds of hotel rooms. In a preamble to his remarks to the U.S., he said he was not representing “any government.” Rather, he said he was speaking as a 92-year-old former prime minister and a “very proud Canadian.” “Friends need to be honest with each other. Just as the people in Gander, and anywhere else in Newfoundland and Labrador, they will give you the shirt off their backs. Like they did 25 years ago. “But they will always show you the respect of telling you the truth. So, my friends, here is to truth, to respect, to friendship and to good neighbours: Vive les États-Unis, et vive le Canada.” More details to come…
