Address by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the occasion of a Ceremony in Commemoration of September 11, 2001

September 11, 2002
Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador

September 11, 2001, began like any other day.

At about this time, the work day was beginning as usual. Here in Gander and throughout North America life was unfolding with the normal rhythm for this time of day and this time of year. In New York City and Boston, twenty-four Canadians were quietly going about their business.

And then, like a clap of thunder, September 11, 2001 became a day like no other. It became 9-11.

The lives, hopes and dreams of those innocent Canadians, and thousands of others, were cut short. For their families, it became a day of searing grief. For Canadians and people everywhere, it became a day of incredible shock and helpless disbelief. We watched on our television screens as the dark side of human nature escaped civilized restraint revealing its ugly face to a stunned world.

But even as the rest of the world struggled to absorb the attacks on Washington and the World Trade Center, here in Gander and in places right across Canada the best of human nature was already beginning to shine through.

Unseen to our eyes, 239 aircraft bearing thousands of passengers suddenly found themselves with no place to land. With great skill the Canadian air navigation system landed each of them safely. More than half of them landed here in Newfoundland and Labrador: in Gander, St. John's, Stephenville, Goose Bay, and Deer Lake. But once they landed, the real work began. In the span of few short hours the population of Gander jumped by more than 50 percent.

It has been said that in Newfoundland and Labrador there are no strangers, just friends you haven't met yet. On 9-11 the people of Gander and the surrounding communities showed how true that is.

You did not miss a beat.

You emptied your closets of bed sheets and your stores of food. You opened your homes. You poured out your sympathy. You extended a friendly hand and offered a friendly ear.

And the stories of appreciation are so numerous.

I read about a couple from New Jersey who came away thinking that the College of the North Atlantic in Gander was a four star hotel. Or of the flight attendant who said in her thank you letter: "We arrived unexpected from the skies as strangers. But rose again into the clouds as your brothers and sisters."

Sometimes the most moving words are the simplest. And I could sense the pure feeling of relief expressed by one passenger who had been stuck on a plane for 21 hours. He remembered that when he entered the Appleton Community Centre, at 3:00AM, the first words he heard were: "Welcome. Please come in. We have coffee and food."

My friends, 9-11 will live long in memory as a day of terror and grief. But thanks to the countless acts of kindness and compassion done for those stranded visitors here in Gander and right across Canada it will live forever in memory as a day of comfort and of healing.

You did yourselves proud. And you did Canada proud.

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