U.S. secretary of state brings message of thanks on 9-11 to Halifax
HALIFAX (CP) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brought a message of thanks from her country on Monday for the help Canadians provided the United States on 9-11.
Rice took part in a brief ceremony at Halifax International Airport, where she was met my about 100 people, most of them volunteers, firefighters and police officers who offered their help to stranded travellers on Sept. 11, 2001.
After walking down a red carpet, Rice and her Canadian counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, were shown a series of large photographs depicting the scores of aircraft that were diverted to Halifax.
"It's a day to know and remember that there is indeed evil in the world, and that we saw its awful face on that horrible day," Rice told the crowd, noting that much of the world still feels vulnerable to attack.
"But it's also a day to recognize when the worst in human behaviour and in human nature exhibits itself, so does the best in human nature and human behaviour. And that is what we saw here."
MacKay said he was proud of the way Atlantic Canadians helped their American neighbours.
"The events of Sept. 11, 2001, are only the most recent chapter in a history of mutual assistance in grave times of desperate need between the citizens of Nova Scotia and our American brothers and sisters," said MacKay, citing the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the Halifax Explosion in 1917 and the Swissair crash in 1998.
"From the flames of disaster and sorrow for lost loved ones has emerged an even stronger and deeper tie between our citizens."
Rice and MacKay later attended a service at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in downtown Halifax to mark the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Outside the museum, a crowd of about 100 protesters - many of them peace activists with red paint on their hands - waved placards and chanted slogans.
Some of the placards read: "No to war," "War is terrorism," and "Canadian conscience is not for sale."
The secretary of state was also slated to travel Tuesday to Stellarton - a town in MacKay's Nova Scotia riding - where she was to hold talks with the foreign affairs minister and again thank Canadians for their help five years ago.
More than 21,000 passengers landed in Atlantic Canada after the catastrophic attacks in Washington, New York and a community near Pittsburgh.
While big airports in cities such as Toronto and Montreal handled relatively few of the grounded flights, more than 100 airplanes landed in Halifax, Moncton, N.B., and in the Newfoundland and Labrador communities of Gander, St. John's, Stephenville, Goose Bay and Deer Lake.
The Atlantic Canadian cities responded with warmth and generosity. Businesses donated clothing, toothpaste, underwear and prescription drugs, while residents opened their homes and churches, and striking school bus drivers in Gander put down their picket signs to ferry the passengers to and from the airport.
But Rice's visit wasn't without controversy,
A peace coalition issued a statement before she arrived, questioning the motives for her visit.
In a news release on Sunday, the group noted the visit coincided with the recent call by NATO Gen. James L. Jones for more troops in Afghanistan.
"I honestly believe that this doesn't really have anything to do with thanking Canadians for the generosity that was shown following 9-11 tragedy in New York," said coalition spokesman Stuart Neatby.
"The visit has been specifically timed to coincide with the announcement by the NATO general in charge of the Afghanistan mission that more troops are required and it also happens to coincide with a summer of Canadian foreign policy being moved very strategically in line with that of the United States."
Prof. Reginald Stuart of Mount Saint Vincent University said Rice's visit signifies the closer ties that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has fostered with the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush.
"Certainly, Mr. MacKay, our foreign minister, has made a point of developing a relationship with Secretary Rice and it may well be a personal favour that's being done here as well," said Stuart, an expert in Canada-U.S. relations.
"It's also a political favour. This is an extension of the Bush administration's diplomacy."
Stuart said Rice's meeting Tuesday with MacKay is part of maintaining the federal government's renewed diplomatic ties with Washington.
It's expected they will discuss security issues and foreign policy concerns in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
"I see it as keeping the fences mended, keeping things moving along," Stuart said.
"This . . . would not have happened for the previous (Liberal) government . . . I think our government is making a clear statement that they have good relations with Washington."
