Canadian leaders marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 by reflecting on the courage of those who lost their lives during the al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the United States and the kindness of those who helped in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a brief speech from Alberta that focused on how Canada helped after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, left thousands dead, including 24 Canadians.
He said he, like many Canadians, remembers where he was when “an otherwise ordinary day became one of history’s darkest.”
Despite the loss of life, injuries, and destruction caused by al-Qaeda’s attacks, including the strikes on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in Virginia, Carney said, “this stark moment also brought forth some of our best nature.”
“In Canada, our government, without hesitation, welcomed 224 planes—17 of our airports,” Carney said while speaking in Banff, Alta., on the second day of his cabinet’s two-day retreat.
He gave special recognition to Gander, the small Newfoundland town that welcomed nearly 7,000 U.S.-bound travellers whose planes were diverted.
“In Gander, the population almost doubled, with strangers who were given a bed, a hot meal, a phone call home,” he said. “[Gander residents] asked nothing in return, and that’s how generosity spreads.”
He also noted that Canada responded to the Sept. 11 attacks by sending 40,000 soldiers to Afghanistan to support its American and NATO allies because “an attack on one is an attack on all of us.”
Canada lost 158 troops, as well as aid workers, and a diplomat during the 12-year mission in Afghanistan, which was the longest combat deployment in the country’s history.
“The lesson… is that the response to darkness is to reach out, to support, to stand in solidarity—as Canadians did, with our neighbours, in this case, our American neighbours,” Carney said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spoke about the 25th anniversary of the attacks while visiting New York City this week as part of a three-day media and business tour to push back against U.S. tariffs.
He visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum with his wife, Anaida Poilievre, during the tour, and released a video to honour those who died, as well as to highlight how Canadians and Americans stood together in the aftermath of the attack.
“We remember the 24 Canadians who died, the 3,000 Americans who died, the courageous New York firefighters who ran into the flames rather than running away,” Poilievre said while standing in front of the plaque on Panel N-21 of the North Pool that features the name of Canadian Kenneth William Basnicki.
Basnicki, a Toronto resident and financial marketing director for BEA Systems, was attending a conference in the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the planes struck the towers.
Poilievre also lauded the Canadians who responded like “the generous families of Gander” as well as the soldiers Canada sent to Afghanistan to help target al-Qaeda and overthrow the Taliban.
“We remember the 40,000 Canadians who fought, the 2,000 who were wounded, and the 158 who died avenging this terrorist attack on our closest neighbours and friends,” he said. “We remember that we must always fight terrorism. We remember the stand for freedom.”
Premiers Comment
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also honoured the victims and first responders who died while speaking at TMX in Toronto on Sept. 11. He posted a portion of his remarks on social media.
“Those victims included 24 Canadians, a reminder of the close ties between our two countries,” Ford said. “Ontario was proud to stand with our American friends and neighbours that day, with volunteers and first responders heading south of the border to help. We will never back down from standing with our allies in defence of our shared values.”
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette described the attack as one that “profoundly marked our era” in a social media post.
“On this day of remembrance, let us pay tribute to the victims and their loved ones,” she wrote. “Twenty-five years later, their memory remains essential. It reminds us of the fragility of peace, the importance of solidarity among peoples, and the need to defend, every day, our democratic and human values.”
In his commemoration, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston quoted former U.S. President Barack Obama in a statement on social media.
“In one of the darkest moments in our history, Canada stood by our side and showed itself to be a true friend,” he wrote, quoting Obama.
“With everything happening lately between Canada and the United States, I have heard folks ask if we would do the same thing today,” he added. “I have thought about that. And I know the answer. Of course we would.”
B.C. Premier David Eby, who has been a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs, posted a video to social media to offer similar sentiments.
“After all of the president’s bad behaviour, after everything that he’s done, if Americans ever had to face the same kind of horrors that they did on September 11th, would Canadians step up in the same way?” he asked during a speech on Sept. 10. “Absolutely, we would, because we know who we are as a country, we are generous, we are kind, we are loyal, and we are compassionate.”
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