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Some Reflections on September 11th 

Remarks by the Honourable David Kilgour, Member of Parliament for Edmonton Southeast and Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa) at the opening of the BAZM-E-SUKHAN Literary and Cultural Society and Multilingual Library

Edmonton, Alberta, September 22, 2001


It is an honour to be with you all this afternoon to celebrate the opening of this special library and to bring greetings from the Federal government. 

Permit me to refer briefly to the events of September 11th and those that have followed. Approximately an hour after the second passenger aircraft ploughed into the World Trade Towers, a special assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting in Lima, Peru, unanimously passed the Democratic Charter, which 34 hemispheric leaders meeting at the Quebec Summit directed Foreign Ministers to create. 

The American Secretary of State, Colin Powell, accepted the regrets of many of us in delegations present at the assembly and then made a solemn intervention about the unfolding catastrophe in the United States.  When he added that despite everything, he wanted to remain in Lima until the Charter was passed, the delegations adopted it quickly and he then left for Washington.  How ironic, some of us thought, that the first democracy in the hemisphere to be under siege was one of the oldest and militarily strongest. 

It was not an attack only on the U.S..  The mass murderers struck at the beliefs of peoples virtually everywhere on earth. 

We are now in a real war against terrorism and most Canadians will want to be part of a co-ordinated and effective response.  Our people now know that it will be a long struggle with no easy solutions.  Patience and prudence will be essential.   

Muslim Canadians

It is very sad that the events of September 11th have provoked some acts against Muslim Canadians and other faith communities.  This is completely un-Canadian and unacceptable.  Terrorists win when they export their hatred.  Ours is a struggle against them, not against any faith community.

Indeed, a young man of indicated origin in Afghanistan in my 16-year-old daughter’s school class was beaten by a gang of youths last weekend in Ottawa.  He was evidently unconscious for 4-5 hours when his mother found him.  Thank God, there have been no such incidents in Edmonton.

Prime Minister at the Ottawa Mosque

Yesterday, Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited Ottawa’s Central Mosque.  His remarks included these thoughts:

“I have come here, as your Prime Minister, to bring a message of reassurance and tolerance. I know that the days since September 11th, 2001 have been ones of great sadness and anxiety for Muslims across Canada.  Because cold-blooded killers who committed the atrocities in New York and Washington invoked the name and words of Islam as justification." 

“Many of your faith have felt constrained when expressing your sympathy and solidarity with the victims.  This despite the fact that many Muslims also perished in the attacks.  Worse.  Some have been singled out for denunciation and violence.  Acts that have no place in Canada or any civilized nation.  And which have made me feel shame as Prime Minister."

“I wanted to stand by your side today.  And to reaffirm with you that Islam is about peace.  About justice.  And about harmony among all people.  And I sense your sadness at the way that a great world religion has been unjustly smeared by this evil."

“I say today, once again, that we are all Canadians.  We stand together as one against this evil.  We grieve together as a family.  As one nation we defy the twisted philosophy of terrorists.  And shoulder to shoulder we will pursue the struggle for justice.”

Omission of Canada in President’s Speech

Let me add a word about why our country was not included among the nations President Bush mentioned in his address to the House of Congress this week. This is a moment for all of us to focus on sharing tasks, not credit. 

Our neighbour's relationship with Canada is so strong that its strength is self-evident.  The President has repeatedly thanked our Prime Minister directly.  Moreover, the new American Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, said recently: “The U.S. is reaching out to countries across the planet to build a broader international coalition.  Of course we didn’t have to reach out to Canada; Canada reached out to us.”

Secretary Powell, moreover, said in part yesterday in Washington after he met with Foreign Minister John Manley:

“(This is an) opportunity as Secretary of State to thank the Canadian people and the Canadian government, especially the Prime Minister, for all the solid support that Canada has given to the United States in the days since the 11th of September.  (It) also gave me a chance to express my condolences to those Canadians who lost family members in the World Trade Centres." 

“Canada was one of the first on the scene with all kinds of help for us in this time of crisis.  Whether it was taking in some 20,000 airline travelers who were stranded - no question about it.  Canada welcomed them and extended fine Canadian hospitality, took care of them and helped them to get on their way to their destination.  Canadian fire fighters assisted us in guarding airspace.  Canadian volunteers came to New York to help.  We have medical support, offers of blood, offers of rescue.  Every imaginable offer we have received from Canadian brothers and sisters, and the American people will be forever grateful for that offer of support, and forever thankful."

“We will never forget the images we saw of the 100,000 Canadians who assembled on Parliament Hill to pay their respects to their American brothers and sisters. This is a sign of the close relationship that exists between our two countries and our two peoples, a relationship that can never be weakened but only strengthened in the years ahead.” 

Finally, I again congratulate the efforts of President Kishwar Shani and the Board of Directors of the Bazm-E-Sukhan Literary and Cultural Society for your hard work in making this ambitious project a success.

Your contributions will enrich not only members of Edmonton’s South Asian community, but all residents of the best city in the best province in the best country on earth. 


 
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