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Posted on 09/11/2006 12:01:52 PM PDT by fanfan
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice thanked Canadians for providing a port in the storm for thousands of stranded Americans and other passengers on Sept. 11, 2001.
"It's a day, of course, to know and remember that there is indeed evil in the world, and we saw its awful face on that horrible day," Rice said at a brief ceremony at Halifax International Airport.
"But it's also a day to recognize that very often when the worst in human behaviour and human nature exhibits itself, so does the best in human nature and human behaviour -- and that is what we saw here."
Rice thanked the 100 volunteers, firefighters and police officers in attendance, who were there five years ago helping stranded travellers, for acting with skill and compassion "despite the fact that that morning, no one could have been prepared for what was asked of you."
"For the people who had to land because the skies were no longer safe, what they wanted most was a place to be safe and a place to have a warm and friendly smile and maybe a up of tea. But to know that there were people who cared and who would at that moment reach out and take care of them -- and that is what you did."
Rice and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay were shown a series of large photographs depicting the scores of aircraft that diverted to airports in Atlantic Canada on Sept. 11.
Following her address, Rice will move on to Stellarton in Pictou County, MacKay's home riding.
Nova Scotians played a significant role in the chaos that followed the attacks in the U.S. by hosting thousands of stranded travellers whose flights were forced to land in Halifax.
Some 9,000 passengers from 44 flights spent the night of Sept. 11 in Nova Scotia school gyms, stadiums, cafeterias and hotels.
Thousands more were stranded in Newfoundland and a couple of hundred on Prince Edward Island. Businesses donated toothpaste and underwear, residents opened their homes and churches, and striking school bus drivers put down pickets to take passengers to and from the airport.
In total, some 200 planes were diverted to Canadian airports across the country after the U.S. attacks.
While airports in big cities such as Toronto and Montreal handled relatively few of the grounded flights, more than 100 planes landed in Halifax, Moncton, N.B., and in the Newfoundland and Labrador communities of Gander, St. John's, Stephenville, Goose Bay and Deer Lake.
Sixty-four of the flights touched down in Gander, N.L., where the town's 10,000 residents scrambled into action and opened their doors to about 6,000 people.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said last week that Rice's visit to Nova Scotia is "a way of thanking Canada and the Canadian people for all that they did on that day."
"On Sept. 11th, America closed its air space, and the Canadian government and the Canadian people took in many, many flights and many, many people who were essentially stranded because they could not continue flying into American air space," McCormack said.
"That was just an extraordinary act of trust, generosity and kindness in a moment of need, and Secretary Rice wanted to travel to Canada to thank the Canadian government and the Canadian people for those extraordinary acts."
But some peace groups doubt the sincerity of the visit.
In a news release, the Halifax Peace Coalition said the visit coincides with the recent call by NATO General James L. Jones for more troops in Afghanistan.
"I honest believe that this doesn't really have anything to do with thanking Canadians for the generosity that was shown following 9-11 tragedy in New York,'' said coalition spokesperson Stuart Neatby.
"The visit has been specifically timed to coincide with the announcement by the NATO general in charge of the Afghanistan mission that more troops are required and it also happens to coincide with a summer of Canadian foreign policy being moved very strategically in line with that of the United States.''
The group planned to have signs and banners at a maritime history museum in Halifax to protest the American occupation of Iraq and the Canadian participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
On Dec. 1, 2004, U.S. President George Bush also visited Halifax, choosing the city because of its assistance to stranded passengers.
He devoted part of his speech to thanking residents who opened their homes and churches to strangers. But he also urged Canada to participate in an American-led ballistic missile defence project, and promoted his country's invasion and occupation of Iraq.
MacKay said he plans to discuss a number of issues during Rice's visit, including trade, North American security and foreign policy issues involving the Middle East and Afghanistan.
"We've seen that having a more productive, open relationship with the Americans pays dividends," including the softwood lumber trade issue, MacKay told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.
"That that doesn't mean being subservient. It doesn't mean for a minute that we can't disagree, but we will do so respectfully and move on," he added.
On Wednesday, U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, planned to attend a 9/11 ecumenical service in Gander.
Other events
Meanwhile, flowers were dropped off outside the U.S. consulate in downtown Toronto early Monday for a 9/11 vigil later in the morning.
The vigil included a moment of silence shortly before 9 a.m. to mark the moment when the first of two passengers jets tore into the World Trade Centre in New York.
Among the people gathered outside the consulate was Ontario Emergency Management Commissioner Julian Fantino.
Also in Toronto early Monday, at least a dozen family, friends and colleagues of some of the 24 Canadians killed in the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Centre met for a memorial breakfast.
Organizers of the event at the Toronto Board of Trade told them the victims of the attack five years ago would never be forgotten.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to make a live televised address at 5:50 p.m. ET "in honour of the victims of the attack, their families and all those engaged in the fight against terrorism," according to a release issued Friday.
Please send me a FReepmail to get on or off this Canada ping list.
Oh, yes indeed, Condi was most sincere. Thank you, Canada, for getting those planes safely on the ground.
That's what friends do.
:-)
bttt!
I remember at the service on Parliament Hill, a couple of days after 9/11, one man was handing out free pins with the U.S. and Canadian flags very similar to the loco you have at the top of the thread. :)
Excellent, Thanks to Canada for their help on Sept 11, 2006 is well deserved.
How are you making out?
Things are improving in N.O. I hope.
:-)
And Jean Chretien tried to not allow prayer, but Canadians prayed anyway!
We've come a long way.
God Bless us all.
Forget the politicians and GOD BLESS OUR CANDAIAN FRIENDS!
TRUE GRITS, INDEED!
;-)
There y'all go, talking about food again!
You can watch it live at CPAC, our parlimentary cable station.
Thanks for posting those.
Among a plethora of tearful memories that I carry from 9/11/01, 2 stand out in my mind because they signify how our allies rallied around us like the good friends they are. The first was when Queen Elizabeth asked that the US national anthem be played at the changing of the guard (a move which was unprecedented). The second was the awesome hospitality shown to the airline passangers waylaid in Canada.
Thanks to our friends to the north!
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