May 3, 2002

U.S. officials break tradition to express sorrow over casualties

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Local News) -- U.S. legislators used a visit here yesterday by Kingston and the Islands MP Peter Milliken to make one thing very clear: Their country shares in Canada’s pain over the recent deaths of Canadian soldiers in an accidental American bombing in Afghanistan.

Milliken, who is also Speaker of the House of Commons, sat in the gallery of America’s lower house yesterday morning while on an official visit to Washington.

Breaking their own rules, congressmen acknowledged Milliken’s presence and took pains to ensure he carried back to Ottawa their nation’s pain over the deaths and their appreciation for Canada’s friendship and military efforts after last September’s terrorist bombings.

Under American rules and parliamentary procedure, visitors cannot be recognized, even by the Speaker himself, while the session is under way.

“It is with great sadness that we stand here today, following the death of four Canadian soldiers, killed while on a mission fighting terrorism,” Republican Congressman Doug Bereuter said from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives seconds after yesterday’s session began. “Mr. Speaker [Milliken] I say to all Canadians, we remain deeply saddened by your loss and America thanks you for your steadfast partnership.”

From the other side of the aisle in the historic chamber, Democratic Congressman Tom Lantos also got to his feet to honour Milliken and the country that shares the longest undefended border in the world with the United States.
“[There is] no more dependable, more persistent ally and friend of the United States than Canada,” he said.

In a hushed voice, Lantos reminded his colleagues that the four Canadian servicemen had been killed by friendly fire.

“That means we killed our own,” he said. “The American people are as one in expressing our heartfelt condolences to the families of the four Canadian heroes and the Canadian people. ... I want to assure you, Mr. Speaker [Milliken] that Canada and the United States will stand together, forever, on behalf of defending freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law [and] the rights of civilized societies to live in peace and security. We appreciated the friendship of our Canadian friends and we want to assure them of our solidarity.”

In the immediate aftermath of the accidental bombing on April 18, some Canadians and commentators at large were critical of what they perceived as a slow response by U.S. President George W. Bush to the Canadian deaths.
But in Washington yesterday, politicians were going out of their way to make sure that Canadians knew how sorry they were.

After a private meeting with Milliken, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Dennis Hastert, also took time out to praise Canada and lament the loss of life the nation has experienced.

File Photo of Peter Milliken with Dennis Hastert

“We express our condolences,” he told The Whig-Standard during an interview on the way to a CIA briefing.

“It’s something that happens in these situations and nobody would ever wish that to happen. We’re extremely sorry.”

He said the accident was the first thing he raised with Milliken once their 45-minute meeting got under way.

Hastert, the third most powerful politician in the United States after President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, said the response by Canada’s government and people to the events of Sept. 11 is something all Americans take comfort in.

“What you folks did on Sept. 11 ... took a huge pressure off this country,” the Illinois congressman said, “as far as international flights, using some of your ships ... and a lot of things and it’s all a great contribution. We appreciate what everybody has done but Canada, especially in proportion to what its size and resources are, has done extraordinarily well.”

Bereuter, in an interview after his speech inside the House of Representatives, said Sept. 11 served as an unfortunate wake-up call for both his country and Canada, especially in light of the massive border the countries share. He said both governments need to work more closely and effectively in matters such as immigration and border security.

As chairman of the House of Representatives’ delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Bereuter visited Ottawa only weeks after Sept. 11. Politics and military matters aside, he said he and his American colleagues were touched Canadians turned out in such high numbers to honour the victims of Sept. 11 during a public ceremony in Ottawa.

“One of the things that impressed us ... is the outpouring of emotion and support from the Canadian public,” he told The Whig-Standard. “The people that came out on Parliament Hill were described to us very emotionally by our ambassador.”

After a luncheon at the majestic Canadian Embassy building, Milliken seemed touched when he spoke about the reception he’d just received from American leaders.

“I was very flattered,” he said. “They, I think, are feeling very keenly the reaction in Canada to the loss of our troops. ... The Members of Congress who are familiar with our country are very much aware of what a good ally we are of the United States [and] how close we are and really, in international terms, how important we are because we are such a close ally.”

Yesterday afternoon, Milliken visited the Senate side of the Capitol. Once there, he attended a meeting of the powerful U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Senator Robert Byrd, the dean of the American Senate and a noted authority on the institution’s history, acknowledged Kingston’s MP as he and his colleagues began their work.

Article from: The Kingston Whig Standard