In a fiery and impassioned speech, former prime minister Jean Chrétien sounded off against the United States at an emotional ceremony commemorating 25 years since 9/11 in Gander, N.L., on Friday, drawing roars of applause and a standing ovation.
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Chrétien → sound → applause
“I have a message for American friends,” he said, as U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra looked on with a tepid smile.
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Hoekstra → have → smile
And Canadians are tolerant and kind, but never mistake our generosity for weakness, never, never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination, and never, never mistake our kindness for softness.
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Canadians → mistake → softness
We know who we are and we are proud of it.
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we → know → it
About 1,000 people, mostly seniors, sprang to their feet at his words, loudly cheering, whistling and applauding.
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people → spring → words
The event was to honour first responders and remember the nearly 3,000 people, including 24 Canadians, who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, into the Pentagon in Virginia and a field in Pennsylvania.
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terrorists → honour → Pennsylvania
After officials closed U.S. airspace, the tiny airport in Gander was the landing spot for 38 passenger planes – part of an operation that diverted more than 200 flights to airports across Canada.
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that → close → Canada
Gander, a town of less than 10,000, took in nearly 7,000 stranded strangers.
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Gander → take → strangers
The event highlighted the people of Gander and nearby communities who dropped everything to welcome passengers into their homes, create makeshift shelters in schools and community halls, and provide thousands of hot meals, paving the way to lifelong friendships.
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who → highlight → friendships
Many of those “plane people” had returned to Gander for the service on Friday, sitting alongside their found families in the local arena.
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Many → return → arena
Up until the end of the two-hour service when Mr. Chrétien spoke, the event had been largely apolitical with performances from The Ennis Sisters and Alan Doyle, remarks from Governor-General Louise Arbour that focused on the friendship between the two countries, and a meandering speech from Mr. Hoekstra.
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that → speak → Hoekstra
But the 92-year-old Mr. Chrétien addressed the issue that overshadowed the event, one that has fractured a long-standing friendship between the two countries that Gander had come to symbolize.
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Gander → address → that
President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war has fuelled anti-American sentiment, as has his repeated threats to annex Canada and the barrage of disrespectful memes targeting Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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threats → escalate → Carney
Mr. Hoekstra has amplified some of the threats from the White House.
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Hoekstra → amplify → House
The crowd remained riveted as Mr. Chrétien delivered more of his impassioned rallying cry for Canada.
“We embrace our friends and we help them in their moment of need, but we bow to no one,” he said to booming applause.
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he → deliver → applause
“The more we are insulted, are threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourselves and stand united.”
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we → insult → ourselves
He finished by saying he wasn’t speaking in anger but as one friend to another.
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he → finish → another
Friends need to be honest with each other, he added.
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he → need → other
“Just as the people here in Gander and anywhere else in Newfoundland and Labrador, they will give you the shirt off their back, like they did 25 years ago,” he said.
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he → give → back
“They will always show you the respect of telling you the truth.
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They → show → truth
Then, to more resounding applause, he said in French long live the United States and long live Canada.
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Canada → say → French
As he turned away from the podium, Mr. Hoekstra embraced Mr. Chrétien, who patted him on the back.
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who → turn → back
Later that evening, Mr. Hoekstra, on his way into the internationally acclaimed musical Come From Away showing in Gander, he declined to share his thoughts on Mr. Chrétien’s speech, shrugging his shoulders twice with his palms up as he went into the theatre.
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he → acclaim → theatre
When asked what he took from the ceremony, he said.
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he → ask → ceremony
Others however said Mr. Chrétien’s speech was historic.
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speech → say → ?
Michael Rubinoff, the originating producer of Come from Away and the producer of the Gander production said the former prime minister met the moment and spoke for many Canadians.
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minister → originate → Canadians
“To hear somebody speak up so strongly and articulate what those Canadian values are on this day, at this moment in time, at this intersection of this tension between the two countries was really profound,” said Mr. Rubinoff.
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Rubinoff → hear → countries
“I think it’s one of those moments that the people in the room, the people watching – we won’t forget.”
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we → think → room
At the event, Mr. Hoekstra opened his speech by saying where he was when the 9/11 attacks occurred: “talking about asparagus to asparagus farmers as any good parliamentarian would do.”
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parliamentarian → open → farmers
He also talked about the shared sacrifices that Canada and the United States have had as countries, standing side by side during the Afghanistan war and on 9/11 when diverted planes came to Gander and the locals “did extraordinary things,” welcoming thousands of stranded passengers that nearly doubled the town’s population.
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that → talk → population
“You did it all.
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You → do → it
You stood up.
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You → stand → ?
You did what needed to be done,” Mr. Hoekstra said.
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Hoekstra → do → ?
The Governor-General did not address the current animosity between the U.S. and Canada, but her speech highlighted the history of friendship and allyship between Canada and the United States, including during 9/11.
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speech → address → 9/11
Ms. Arbour spoke about the “exceptional” relationship forged over generations – fighting alongside one another in two world wars, and standing together in defence, freedom and democracy throughout the Cold War.
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Arbour → speak → War
“We have helped one another through natural disasters and difficult times, time and time again,” she said.
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she → help → disasters
“And entire communities from Windsor to Detroit, Vancouver to Seattle, have grown side by side, always in solidarity.”
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communities → grow → solidarity
