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U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said he is returning to Gander on the 9/11 anniversary to say thank you and to honour the town’s enduring bond with his country.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
A week before U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra is set to give remarks in Gander to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Newfoundland town that became notorious for its kindness on that day addressed growing community anger about his attendance.
“We understand why people feel strongly about this,” said a statement from the town released Friday afternoon. “We are proud Canadians, and we understand the frustration and disappointment many Canadians are feeling about the current state of the relationship between Canada and the United States.”
As the terrorist attacks were unfolding on Sept. 11, 2001, 38 planes carrying thousands of passengers were diverted to Gander. The town famously stepped up, with locals opening up their homes, setting up shelters and providing meals and medication to the stranded passengers, many of whom were American. They formed lifelong bonds and connections that are emotionally depicted in the immensely popular Broadway musical Come From Away. Gander’s kindness, a symbol of co-operation between the Canada and the U.S., has also been immortalized in a new Heritage Minute, released this week.
But anti-American tension has ratcheted up in recent weeks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, his order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America and the slew of trolling memes coming out of the White House. This week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on social media a screenshot of a young Canadian cadet and her instructor at the end of summer training camp, mocking them with the words “this is real,” raising the ire of people across the country.
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Mr. Hoekstra himself has faced fierce backlash for months, after saying earlier in the year that annexing Canada as the 51st state would be a great topic of discussion for Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mr. Trump. A House of Commons petition signed by more than 260,000 Canadians calling for his removal remains active.
Mr. Hoekstra’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this week Mr. Hoekstra said in a statement that he is returning to Gander on the 9/11 anniversary to say thank you and to honour the enduring bond.
Mr. Hoekstra is hosting a breakfast for volunteers and attending a commemoration service in Gander where he’s speaking on friendship and connection.
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Plans for his attendance have triggered controversy and emotion in the community and on social media, said Mayor Percy Farwell in an interview with The Globe and Mail prior to the town’s statement.
“There is a certain delicacy to the timing this year,” he said, referring to Mr. Trump’s trade war. “This story does transcend that.”
“Administrations come and go and ambassadors come and go but at the end of the day we have a lasting relationship.”
The town explained in its statement that it followed the appropriate protocol when planning the commemoration by extending invitations to government and diplomatic representatives, adding that this doesn’t mean the town endorses “any individual, their comments or their political views.”
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In his interview, Mr. Farwell asked that the focus of the commemoration be about people, the close to 3,000 people who lost their lives on 9/11 and the acts of humanity in Gander, not politics.
Meanwhile, the popular national satire publication The Beaverton had already re-written the script with a post titled “Come from Away sequel will see Newfoundlanders put the friggin’ boots to Pete Hoekstra.”