Canada and September 11: Impact and Response

The events of September 11, 2001, left 3000 Americans dead and resulted in the "War on Terror," which Canada joined. After the initial shock and disbelief over what had happened, personal and public responses ranged from deep sympathy for the victims to an acknowledgement that the U.S. had finally tasted the kind of horror that many other countries in the world have experienced. A debate ensued in Canada about the kind of response the country should undertake, about the explanations for the events and the implications new security and surveillance measures would have for established freedoms and the values of civil society. This volume collects this wide range of reaction and opinion about the impact of September 11th on Canada and provides readers with a variety of insights into the emotional, intellectual and institutional challenges that face Canada. The response of Canadians recorded here offers hope that out of the tragedy of September 11th and its aftermath in Afghanistan will come positive developments that enhance our common humanity. The smoke gushing from the World Trade Center towers and billowing down Manhattan streets and rising up from the walls of the Pentagon brought new anxieties to everyone in the world on September 11, 2001. For Canadians it was a tragedy striking our closest neighbor and our largest economic and most intimate military partner. Although Canadians died in the World Trade Center, along with people from many other countries, cultures and different religions, Canadians first saw these events as an attack on America. But as the knowledge of Bin Laden and his network clarified, an understanding grew that it was western culture, which forms a large portion of the diverse Canadian cultural mix, that was really the target. It was not just an attack on the United States of America; it was part of a plan by one group holding a distorted view of Islam to cleanse the world - Canada included.