Federal party leaders commemorated the September 11 attacks on Saturday morning.
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On the day of the events 20 years ago, Justin Trudeau was working as a teacher at a high school in Vancouver.
He recalled talking to his students “what that would mean for the future and for the present” during the day.
“I think 20 years later, we have to think about that day, the thousands of people who died, including twenty-four Canadians, the first responders, including some Canadians who offered to help in the days and weeks that followed.” , he said at a campaign event in Mississauga, near Toronto.
“Shaken,” he said, Canadians were able to “take concrete actions to fight terrorism, including in Afghanistan,” he added, thanking the Canadian Armed Forces.
Blanchet and the impact in Quebec
While in Sherbrooke on Saturday, Yves-François Blanchet also made a point of remembering the September 11 attack and its implication for Muslims in Quebec.
Called on to comment on the impact of September 11 on Quebec Muslims, Mr. Blanchet said he “would find it terrible” to create “an association between the magnificent Muslim community of Quebec” and the terrorist attack.
“Dangerous extremists and radicals, let’s face it, there are some in all cultures. So no, I do not make such a link, even a large part of my solidarity goes to the place of the Muslim community which has been stigmatized by these terrorist attacks, ”he added.
“That we sometimes have differences of view with certain spokespersons from certain communities is one thing, but all of the people of the Muslim faith that I know are people with whom I have an excellent relationship.”
O’Toole pays tribute to the victims
Erin O’Toole wished to pay tribute to the victims who perished in the attack.
“We also pay tribute to the memory of first responders, firefighters, paramedics and police who put their lives in danger to save the lives of others,” he said in the preamble of an announcement held in Whitby, in the suburbs of Toronto.
The Conservative leader pointed out that today was National Day of Service in Canada, “an opportunity to remember to redeem your efforts to build your community”.
A “tragedy which spawned several others”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement calling September 11 a “tragedy that spawned many more.”
“On this day, 20 years ago, history has been changed forever.
Across the country and around the globe, we gathered in shock and watched on television these unimaginable images of chaos, pain, and mourning, ”he says.
“Today, as we see the impact of the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the resulting cost in human lives, the anniversary of the attacks on the United States looms even more significant.”
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