The Poet's House

A Friend Not A Foe

Jean Chretien’s words spoken at Gander’s 9/11 Memorial Ceremony

“Yes, Canada is a generous, open country, and Canadians are tolerant and kind, but never mistake our generosity for weakness.”

“Never, never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination, and never, never mistake our kindness for softness.”

“We know who we are, and we are proud of it. Building a country like this, with this climate and this geography, is a sign of toughness, not of weakness”.

“Welcoming people from all over the world, caring for each other, including the weakest in society, is a sign of strength. We embrace our friends, and we help them in their moment of need.

“But we bow to no one.”

“The more we are insulted or threatened and abused, the more we will stand up for ourself and stand united. And I say that not in anger, but as one friend to another.”

-end-

In regards to the dispute between Canada and the United States of America it should be understood that we Canadians have no ill-will towards any American citizen. There might be a couple in the Government we don’t like, but all-in-all we embrace our neighbors to the south. We love and promote your idea of freedom and democracy. We especially love your products! We’ve always believed in fair trade and as neighbors will continue to do trade over the longest unprotected boarder in the world.

Jean Chretien’s speech in Gander N.L. during the 9/11 memorial ceremony is not intended to oppose, but to reassure our neighbors that we are a beautiful, strong ally who, at the drop of a hat, would stand behind our neighbor in peace or in war, with no questions asked.
I would like to believe that any nation would welcome a country who citizens embody these characteristics as a friend and not a foe.
And to have these people as neighbors should be an honor and always be respected regardless of governmental disagreements.

Respectfully

Michael Plante