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260,000 Canadians Demand Hoekstra’s Removal as Ambassador

9/7/2026

28 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Hoekstra Accepts Ceremony

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra accepted Gander’s 9/11 ceremony invitation, which the town says follows protocol, not endorsement.
Over 260,000 Canadians signed a petition demanding Hoekstra’s removal as ambassador.
Mayor Percy Farwell said the ceremony should emphasize humanity, not politics, amid U.S.-Canada trade tensions.
Hoekstra announced he will host a breakfast for volunteers and speak on friendship and connection.

Summary

Belfast Operatic Stages

Belfast Operatic Company will stage Come From Away at the Grand Opera House, 23–27 February 2027.
The musical shows 38 diverted flights that brought 7,000 strangers to Gander, Newfoundland, in September 2001.
Writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein based the show on Gander residents’ experiences after the attacks.
Claire Howell plays pioneering American Airlines captain Beverley Bass, the airline’s first female captain.

History

Historical Context

NAFTA, negotiated by President Bill Clinton, Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Mexico’s President Carlos Salinas, entered force on January 1 1994, replacing the 1988 Canada-U.S. free-trade pact and linking the three economies. Decades later, Hoekstra’s invitation to Gander’s 9/11 memorial drew a petition with 260,000 signatures, while the musical *Come From Away* commemorates the same humanitarian response.

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Hoekstra Accepts Ceremony

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra accepted Gander’s 9/11 ceremony invitation, which the town says follows protocol, not endorsement.
Over 260,000 Canadians signed a petition demanding Hoekstra’s removal as ambassador.
Mayor Percy Farwell said the ceremony should emphasize humanity, not politics, amid U.S.-Canada trade tensions.
Hoekstra announced he will host a breakfast for volunteers and speak on friendship and connection.

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