Hoekstra joins a list of dignitaries who will attend the ceremony that marks the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a day when 38 planes carrying more than 6,500 passengers were forced to land in Gander after U.S. airspace was closed.

In a news release, Gander’s town council emphasized that the town’s 9/11 story is about people, not politics, and urged residents to look beyond current Canada‑U.S. tensions.

The council added that it had followed the usual protocol of inviting governments and diplomatic representatives to the event, a step that is standard for public commemorations.

Hoekstra said in an emailed statement that he is attending “not just on behalf of those who were stranded, but for an entire nation that remains moved by Gander’s generosity,” and he wants to honour the bond that was forged that week.

By keeping the focus on the human‑to‑human connections forged in 2001, Gander hopes the ceremony will remind everyone of the nearly 3,000 lives lost and the compassion that united strangers in a small Newfoundland town.