Canada, the United States and the World after 9/11

A town that doubled overnight

On September 11, 2001, terrorists of the group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes in the United States and killed nearly 3 000 people, including 24 Canadians. The U.S. closed its airspace. In Operation Yellow Ribbon, more than 200 flights headed for the U.S. were diverted to Canadian airports. In Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, a town of about 10 000 people, residents welcomed about 6 500 stranded passengers and crew into schools, churches and homes for several days. Their story later became the musical Come From Away, written by Canadians Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

That moment showed the closeness of Canada and the United States. The years that followed tested that relationship: in a war in Afghanistan, a decision about Iraq, new rules at the border, and, in 2025, a trade war and talk of annexation.

Security after 9/11: safety and rights

Parliament passed the Anti-terrorism Act in December 2001, giving police new powers. Canada and the U.S. signed a Smart Border declaration to tighten security while keeping trade moving. By 2009, Canadians needed a passport (or similar document) to enter the U.S. by land.

Some cases raised serious questions about rights:

• Maher Arar, a Canadian engineer, was detained in New York in 2002 and sent by U.S. officials to Syria, where he was tortured. A Canadian inquiry (2006) found that inaccurate information from the RCMP had probably contributed, and that there was no evidence he was a threat. In 2007, Prime Minister Harper apologized, and Canada paid him compensation.
• Omar Khadr, a Canadian, was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2002 at age 15, accused of killing a U.S. soldier, and held at Guantánamo Bay. In 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canadian officials had violated his Charter rights. In 2017, the government apologized and settled his lawsuit. Many Canadians agreed with the settlement because of the Charter violations and his age; many others strongly disagreed because of the charges against him.

The war in Afghanistan (2001–2014)

Afghanistan's Taliban government had sheltered al-Qaeda. After 9/11, a U.S.-led coalition, and later a NATO-led mission authorized by the UN, removed the Taliban from power. Canada's role changed over time:

• 2001–2002: special forces and an infantry battle group joined the first operations near Kandahar.
• 2003–2005: Canadian troops helped secure Kabul, the capital, as part of the NATO-led ISAF mission.
• 2006–2011: Canada took on a major combat and counter-insurgency role in Kandahar province, one of the most dangerous areas, along with reconstruction and development projects.
• 2011–2014: Canadians trained Afghan security forces. The mission ended in March 2014.

More than 40 000 Canadian Armed Forces members served. 158 were killed, and so were a Canadian diplomat, a journalist and several civilian workers. Many more returned with physical injuries or post-traumatic stress. The mission was debated at home: about its goals, its cost, and whether prisoners Canada handed to Afghan authorities were tortured. In August 2021, the Taliban took power again; Canada then resettled tens of thousands of Afghans, including interpreters who had worked with Canadian forces and their families.

Saying no: Iraq (2003)

In 2003, the U.S. and the U.K. prepared to invade Iraq, claiming it had weapons of mass destruction. On March 17, 2003, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told the House of Commons that Canada would not take part without UN Security Council approval. The decision was popular in Canada, especially in Quebec, but strained relations with the U.S. administration. No weapons of mass destruction were found. In 2005, Paul Martin's government also declined to join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program.

Long-running Canada–U.S. issues

• Softwood lumber: U.S. lumber producers have argued since the early 1980s that Canada unfairly subsidizes lumber because most forests are publicly owned. The U.S. has repeatedly placed duties on Canadian lumber; agreements (such as in 2006) brought temporary peace. Duties rose sharply again in 2025.
• Protecting Canadian culture: with the U.S. media giant next door, Canada uses Canadian content rules, funding for artists, and laws such as the Online Streaming Act (2023). After the Online News Act (2023) required large tech platforms to pay news outlets, Meta blocked news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada. In June 2025, under U.S. pressure during trade talks, Canada cancelled its planned digital services tax on large tech companies.
• Environment: the International Joint Commission (created in 1909) helps manage shared waters. Canada and the U.S. signed the Air Quality Agreement (1991) to reduce acid rain, which had been damaging lakes and forests in Ontario and Quebec, and updated the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 2012.
• Arctic sovereignty: Canada says the Northwest Passage is Canadian internal waters; the U.S. says it is an international strait. As climate change melts sea ice, the question matters more. In 2022, Canada and Denmark (with Greenland) settled a friendly, nearly 50-year dispute over tiny Hans Island by dividing it.
• Defence: Canada and the U.S. share NORAD. The U.S. has long pushed Canada to spend more on defence; in 2025, Canada committed to reach NATO's spending target of 2% of GDP and to raise defence spending further over the following decade.

2025: "Elbows up"

After returning to office in January 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods (Lesson 11) and repeatedly said Canada should become the "51st state." Many Canadians reacted strongly:

• Flags went up, shoppers chose Canadian products, provinces removed U.S. alcohol from store shelves, and many Canadians cancelled trips to the U.S. Statistics Canada reported large drops in return trips from the United States during 2025.
• "Elbows up," a hockey phrase, became a slogan for standing firm.
• The issue dominated the April 28, 2025 federal election, won by Mark Carney's Liberals (Lesson 16).

Historians will debate how lasting this surge in national feeling will be. It is a clear example of an outside challenge strengthening a sense of Canadian identity (E3.4).

Other international roles since 2001

• Humanitarian response: Canada sent its Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake; many Haitian Canadians, especially in Quebec, helped family and communities.
• Libya (2011): a Canadian general, Charles Bouchard, commanded NATO's air mission.
• Fighting ISIS (2014 onward) and peacekeeping in Mali (2018–2019).
• Ukraine: after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Canada, home to one of the world's largest Ukrainian diasporas, gave military, financial and humanitarian support and welcomed many Ukrainians.
• Middle East: in September 2025, Canada formally recognized the State of Palestine, alongside the United Kingdom and Australia, while stating its support for Israel's security and calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Canada's spending on development aid was cut in the 1990s, rose again in the 2000s, and has continued to be debated.