CANADA
By Candis Callison, 09/16/2001
|
Canada's unique status as one of two countries who share a border with the United States made the events on 11 September highly personal for Canadians. Several hours after television stations carried the shocking images of terror in New York and Washington, stories flooded in about places like Gander, Newfoundland, a town of 4,000 people forced to deal with a parking lot of jumbo jets prevented from entering US airspace. Canadian television proudly showed hundreds of compassionate citizens making meals and beds for many a stranded passenger. And importantly on the other side of the country, the American military's forced landing of an Alaska-bound South Korean flight in Whitehorse, Yukon - an event that caused a panicked evacuation of this small territorial capital - drove home Canada's neighborly status both in the north, and south. Canadian Airport Closures CBC News: Stranded passengers flood Canadian airports Much of the Canadian media coverage of the terrorist attacks has been praised in two recent articles on the CBC news site and the Globe and Mail's newspaper website. A Jesuit priest writing for the CBC noted that CBC Anchor "(Peter) Mansbridge did (that) which the other network anchors could not do - he kept silent. Around 11.20, he said 'Look at those pictures. You don't need any more descriptions from me.' And he was correct." Notably as well, CBC Television also attempted to refrain from indiscriminant repetition of these images in the days that followed. And Canada's all music and youth channel, Much Music suspended 11 September programming to have a kind of live town hall meeting for expressions of grief, anger, and shock. Analysis of Canadian and International media coverage of 11 September The Globe And Mail: Attack on the U.S. CBC News - Indepth: U.S. Under Attack The Canadian outpouring of support, emotion and solidarity towards
the U.S. is still an important story, as is finding out how many
Canadians were lost, and how many witnessed the destruction and
escaped with their lives. But, a great deal of analysis is now being
devoted to America's new directives, and how that might directly
affect Canadians. How will Canada/U.S. borders - the largest undefended
border in the world - be affected? How will the United States put
pressure on Canada's open refugee policies? Will U.S. military actions
involve Canadians? These issues are seen in the current results
(as of Sunday afternoon) of the National Post's poll: What kind of assistance should Canada promise the U.S. in light of Tuesday's attacks?
Aside from the policy debates, Canadians are very much aware that this is a North American issue. And while many Canadians resent recent debates over softwood lumber and other NAFTA related problems, there is a sense of unity in sorrow over what has happened on this continent. Its best summed up in a quote from an article by Canada's beloved radio host and columnist Peter Gzowski: "Come off it. I am an American. I don't mean just Ich bin ein New Yorker, as a short but eloquent letter to the editor on Thursday put it or even in the sense of standing shoulder to shoulder with our best friends, but of literal fact." Johanna
Schneller Column Related Links |
