The U.S. ambassador to Canada says his country needs their “allies on board” to counter terrorist threats that target Western democracies’ way of life.
Pete Hoekstra was in Gander, Nfld., on Friday to attend a memorial marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York City. The people of Gander took in stranded passengers diverted to the province after the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon disrupted air travel.
“We appreciate Canada’s support, their friendship, and the contributions they made that day and for the years since,” Hoekstra told Global News in an interview.
“(The attacks are) the kind of threat we face today that we need all of our allies on board. Not on board America’s strategy, but on board a strategy that says this is an evil that threatens each of our countries … It is a threat, we need to confront it.”
Hoekstra’s tenure as ambassador has not been particularly known for showing U.S. appreciation for Canadian support and friendship.
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Instead, it’s been marked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of annexation, snide comments from his cabinet about the Canadian military, and Trump’s ongoing trade war hitting businesses and workers on both sides of the border.
Hoekstra himself has engaged in the cross-border sniping, recently reposting an image on social media with Lake Ontario “renamed” Lake America. He’s previously shared other social media posts promoting Trump’s threats at making Canada the “51st state.”
As of Friday, more than 269,000 people have signed a House of Commons petition to declare Hoekstra a persona non grata in Canada and expel him.
But Hoekstra told Global News he wasn’t interested in discussing bilateral relations Friday.
“I don’t really want to get into it in any kind of depth today, in that the focus is on 9/11. In terms of respect, both ways, that’s an issue that I think we can talk about in the future, and I’d be willing to,” Hoekstra said.
Nearly 7,000 travellers were stranded in the town of Gander and surrounding areas after planes were diverted on Sept. 11, 2001. The story spawned the hit Broadway musical Come From Away, which highlights the town’s kindness and hospitality in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
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