December 21, 2001
Ottawa, Ontario

The following is the text of a holiday message to Canadians from Prime Minister Jean Chrétien:

"The shared commitment of Canadians to each other and to building a brighter future has always been the secret of our great national success story. And 2001 has been a year in which we have carried forward this legacy, even while responding with firmness and resolve to threat that terrorism poses to our values and our way of life. We have carried on with the work of creating and sharing new opportunity and prosperity; of preparing ourselves to prosper in the new economy; of sustaining our cherished health care system; of making our environment cleaner; of addressing the unique challenges of Aboriginal Canadians; and of dealing with the challenge of global poverty.

The 2001 Holiday Season is chance to reflect on how a year of adversity - a year that the world will never forget - has reaffirmed and renewed the true meaning of friendship and family. I was moved by the way that Canadians reached out to the people of the United States of America in their time of great sadness and trial. As friends, indeed as family, we offered our help, our prayers - some of us even our homes. And as 100,000 Canadians gathered on Parliament Hill for our National Day of Mourning we expressed a solidarity that has no limit.

The Holiday Season is also a time when the absence of family is felt most keenly. So I ask each of you to take a moment to remember the families of the brave men and women of Operation Apollo, our mission in support of the international campaign against terrorism.

Aline joins me in wishing each of you a happy Holiday Season. And in expressing our heartfelt wish for a 2002 in which the world sees a new birth of peace and understanding."

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PMO Press Office (613) 957-5555