View From the Legislature

Twenty Years After 9/11

  • Kelvin Goertzen, Author
  • Member of the Legislative Assembly, Steinbach

In every generation it seems that there are events that happen that are so impactful that you forever remember where you were when you first heard the news. For many, the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001 was one that will be etched in their memory for their entire lives. But for nearly 3,000 people, that day ended their lives.

Passengers on the hijacked planes, and many of those in the Twin Towers in New York City or in the Pentagon in Washington D.C., were among the victims on that horrific day. Added to those numbers were hundreds of emergency responders who tried to rescue others after the attacks. Even as millions watched the attacks live on television, it was almost impossible to comprehend what was transpiring or what may come after. Twenty years later, the impact of 9/11 is still being felt.

Last Saturday I had the honour of representing the province of Manitoba at the International Peace Garden at the 20th anniversary memorial of 9/11. The Peace Garden is at the Canada-U.S. border crossing located near Boissevain. The Garden is located in both Manitoba and North Dakota. The Peace Garden has a special connection to the 9/11 tragedy in that ruins from the Twin Towers are located there in a memorial that encourages visitors to recall, reflect and remember. Together with other representatives from Canada and the United States, we reflected on those events 20 years ago and all the things that have changed, along with those that have not. An extremely talented school choir from Bottineau, North Dakota, made up of students not yet born on 9/11, sang songs of tribute and remembrance.

One of the greatest tragedies on 9/11 was not simply the loss of life, but the loss of potential that those lives represented. The opportunity lost to raise families, meet grandchildren, develop careers. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the memorial site of 9/11 outside of the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Row upon row of empty benches represented the lives and potential lost at that site 20 years ago.

The International Peace Garden was a very fitting place for the 20th anniversary memorial. For nearly 90 years it has been an example of not only the peaceful coexistence between Canada and the United States, but as a call for broader peace around the world. Over the past 20 years there has been a great deal of analysis done on the events and attacks that took place on 9/11. The lasting legacy is the need to continue to work towards a more peaceful world. The International Peace Garden reminds us that we can live peacefully with one another and that the events of 9/11 mark our history, but do not have to define our future.