Ottawa (AFP) – Newfoundland’s premier on Wednesday invited US President Donald Trump to a hit Broadway musical, hoping its story of Canadians taking in stranded travelers after 9/11 would lead him to soften his stance on Canada.
In a Twitter message, Newfoundland Premier Dwight Ball said the province and the United States “have enjoyed a history of rising tides lifting all boats.”
“Please join me to a showing of ‘Come From Away’ to discuss the virtues of a positive relationship. The tickets are offered at your leisure & hopefully are tariff free,” he added.
The award-winning musical recounts the true story of how the small town of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed nearly 7,000 stranded airline passengers after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US forced 38 planes to land in the Canadian province.
The Gander airport is the closet point between Europe and the United States, and a preferred emergency landing spot for medical or aircraft mechanical problems.
The townsfolk’s simple hospitality drew worldwide accolades.
Residents donated clothes and toiletries to the weary travelers who could not access their luggage for security reasons, took them moose hunting and sightseeing, and entertained them with music.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had extended a similar invitation to Trump and members of his administration last year. Daughter Ivanka Trump attended in his place with Trudeau.
Canada-US relations hit a low this past week over tariffs on steel and aluminum, and Trump’s personal attacks on Trudeau after the Group of Seven summit.
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