Canada gets its 9/11 due, at last

However, ties between them are turning sour, writes Gurmukh Singh in Canada Diary.

On 9/11, as many as 224 aircraft, carrying about 33,000 passengers were diverted to various Canadian airports. People opened their hearts, homes, schools and churches to the stranded passengers.

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But Canadians received no 'thank-you' while President Bush acknowledged all others for their help in America's hour of tragedy (Bush later said he thought close friends need not be thanked). Canadians were not upset. Within days when Americans attacked Afghanistan to take out the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, they back their southern neighbours.

Then came the Iraq war. Bush asked for Canadian support. But this time Prime Minister Jean Chretien refused, saying the attack had no UN backing.

The relationship between two "closest friends'' turned sour. Dubya became very unpopular and was called a warmongering cowboy from Texas.

The ties worsened further when Chretien told his Belgian counterpart at a NATO summit that being anti-American was good politics in Canada and that he would prefer to work with a Democrat in the White House.

His communications director, Francoise Ducrois, went on to describe Bush as "what a moron!'' This is another matter that the PM was forced to fire her after her remarks.