The disturbing pictures of hijacked planes in the azure autumn sky darting into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center became a shocking wake-up call to North America—the Atlantic Ocean can no longer protect us from foreign attacks. The attacks on 9/11 were unfathomably violent and reflected a relentless pursuit of destruction on Western democracy. Terrorism is designed to shock, terrify and coerce targets to yield. But there was no yielding. Instead, there was a lot of bravery and appropriate counter-response.
Canada’s response to 9/11 was establishing counter-terrorism mechanisms to fortify our security, intelligence, and defence—the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Command, and the Anti-terrorism Act. The meaningful, patriotic words on Canada’s Public Safety site capture Canada’s resolve to defend our democracy, national sovereignty, and, ultimately, the safety of the people.
On September 11, 2001, terrorist acts in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania claimed thousands of lives, including those of 24 Canadians. These events have profoundly impacted Canadians, and remind us that we are not immune from terrorism. The memory of the victims of terrorism and the pain of their families strengthen our resolve to fight criminals and terrorists at home and abroad and to stand up proudly for the principles that bind us: freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights. Our goal is to continue to build the resilience of our society and all communities to all forms of violent coercion. —The Government of Canada's response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Date modified: 2015-12-02
As many people remember where they were when President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, many people remember where they were on September 11, 2001. I was a teacher at the time. Almost every other classroom had a television tuned into CNN. The repeat footage of the planes ramming into the skyscrapers and the devasting collapse of the buildings in a cloud of grey matter played like a surreal movie scene. I remember the lunchroom conversations with teachers were bleak, and we knew life would never be the same again. The words that lingered on for months after the attack were ground zero and rubble, forming the picture in the back of my mind of a vulnerable civilization.
If anyone thought America was made of steel, we learned that a superpower can also bleed. The Western world united around America with solidarity because it could have happened to any of us. Al-Qaeda's mandate to bring down Western democracy was evident in the choice of targeted sites—a national hub for commerce and the national headquarters for the American Department of Defence.
Nevertheless, in the midst of tragedy, we also celebrated the rise of heroes among brave first responders, volunteers and civilians. As a neighbour, Canada received more than 250 diverted flights. One of the cities was Gander, Newfoundland, where 7000 stranded passengers experienced warm local hospitality. A tragic situation brought out the kindness and generosity of our true Canadian nature.
But today, the aforementioned government statement on 9/11 reads like a relic of the past, distant from today’s reality. Currently, the picture of solidarity around Western democracy seems to be floundering in a dust cloud of an identity crisis.
Reflecting on the attack on 9/11 is an apt way to clear away the debris and restore clarity that terrorism is a threat that has no legitimacy in a democratic nation. Full stop.
On September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists associated with al-Qaeda, an Islamist extremist group, hijacked four commercial airplanes scheduled to fly from the East Coast to California. In a coordinated attack that turned the planes into weapons, the terrorists intentionally flew two of the planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, a global business complex in New York City, causing the towers to collapse. They also flew a third plane into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, in Arlington, Virginia. Passengers and crew members on the fourth plane launched a counterattack, forcing the hijacker pilot—who was flying the airplane toward Washington, D.C.—to crash the plane into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, near the town of Shanksville.
The 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people. This was the single largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil. The attacks caused the deaths of 441 first responders, the greatest loss of emergency responders on a single day in American history. —Events of the Day: What happened on the morning of September 11, 2001?, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, New York
On September 11, terrorism gave us a vivid picture of the capacity of evil in broad daylight. We must continue to be vigilant in thwarting plots of violence because terrorism is a growing threat around the world, especially in times of escalated conflict in the Middle East. We owe much to the diligent work of our national security, intelligence, and police forces and the daily sacrifices they make to thwart terrorist threats—the ones we read about and the ones that will never make the news.
But today, the threat isn’t only in the open blue sky or large public spaces. Threats come in clandestine forms through foreign interference, from cyber attacks to transnational repression and crime, and by influencing decision-makers in politics, academia, business, and any sector that threat actors can infiltrate. Like hostile foreign state actors, terrorist entities, through proxies and sponsoring states, are also in for the long game.
Our current commitment to “stand up proudly for the principles that bind us: freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights” seems more like hollow platitudes with gross contradictory actions and negligence on the part of decision-makers across the spectrum. We seem to have lost our compass. We need only to read the news each day on foiled Canadian terrorist plots, flawed vetting in immigration, and the rise of antisemitic propaganda and violence.
In practice, it seems that democracy is being conflated to tolerate terrorist propaganda, the rule of law undermined by political measuredness, and human rights politically weaponized to shield threat actors and criminals rather than protect the lives and dignity of victims.
Foreign interference and organized terrorist operations both work toward destabilizing and eroding our democracy and polarizing and agitating the citizens of our nation. How? By propagating false narratives that advance detrimental foreign agendas under different guises and capitalizing on the demonizing and deterring of the work of national security, law enforcement, and defence—the very sectors that directly safeguard our national sovereignty, safety, peace and freedom.
The ultimate battleground is in the mind of the individual, where reason, ideologies and allegiances are formed and tested. If harmful foreign influence and terrorist propaganda can hijack democracy in the minds of the people, then we are in a losing war against tyranny, oppression, and violence. Education and memorial days like today need to be observed to keep our compass aligned with our foundational democratic values as Canadians and sift out propaganda that seeks to counter them.
9/11 should remind us of the clear boundary between light and darkness and a call for each citizen to make that distinction in their mind, loyalties, and perceptions. Then our actions, led by a clear vision, will steer us collectively into the bright future for which Canada was destined.
In respectful memory of those whose lives were lost to the atrocious attacks on September 11, let us not forget our democratic identity and the true nature of terror. May resilience, care and peace light our path.
Nelly Shin
Former Member of Parliament