'Nothing happens here. You're safe': 9/11 survivors, responders recall attack aftermath
Former Canadian transport minister David Collenette reflects on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He discusses the decision to ground hundreds of flights in Canada, which led to a massive humanitarian effort in Gander, Newfoundland.
Why it matters
The event highlights a significant moment in aviation history and the enduring legacy of the humanitarian response that inspired the musical 'Come From Away'.
At the time, the veteran Ontario politician was the federal minister of transport in the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien.
He began noticing some unusual rumblings in the audience, and then an aide walked up to him while he was speaking and presented him with a blunt note: "Wind up your speech. There's been a tragedy."
Passenger jets had been hijacked and were slamming into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, and a field in Pennsylvania.
As he scrambled back to Ottawa, Collenette was forced to make decisions that will forever be remembered in aviation history, including ordering 229 passenger jets bound for the United States to land immediately at Canadian airports, including those in Gander, St. John's, Stephenville and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
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