Hon. Jerahmiel S. Grafstein:

Honourable senators, I would like to speak briefly to Item No. 21 on the Order Paper, Senator Wallin's bill, which is at its fifteenth day. This item stands in my name. There is a history to my activities following 9/11 in which Senator Wallin participated. Perhaps I might explain that history briefly and suggest something to the Senate.

Shortly after 9/11, we were concerned that the Canadian government had not attended New York City at Ground Zero. We urged parliamentarians on both sides to do so and there was no response. As a result, a group of us in Toronto, led by myself, my wife, and others, met in my house and decided that we would organize a small meeting of Canadians in response to Mayor Giuliani's request to the United Nations. Mayor Giuliani said that if people wanted to help New York, they could do that by visiting the city and spending money there. He said that would help the city get back on its feet. A group of us got together and hoped to get 1,000 or so Canadians to join us. It was a voluntary effort; no government provided any money.

I promoted the idea but the idea originated from a good friend of mine, an outstanding producer who said that if we were going to do something for New York City we should not do it in Toronto but in New York City itself. When Mayor Giuliani issued this call, we joined together. A number of us met in my home and we put together some money to organize taking, we hoped, 1,000 Torontonians to New York. Shortly after that, people from across the country began assisting us. Senator Hervieux-Payette, and others, led a group from Montreal. It moved from coast to coast to coast. We finally ended up in New York City at a place called the Roseland Ballroom, which held 3,500 people. We expected that we would barely fill the hall. To ensure that we had an event there, we contacted Pamela Wallin and asked her to be the MC, which she kindly agreed to do.

The Roseland Ballroom is on 53rd Street and we had Canadians lined up right up to the park on both sides of the street. As one of the organizers, I was concerned because these people had come from across Canada and we were not able to fit them into the hall. I walked up and down the street and begged their forgiveness. Everyone said, "No; we are happy to be here." There was not a concern by any Canadian other than to come and join this particular event.

The ballroom held 3,500. Senator Wallin was there as the MC. We got kids from Variety Village and police officers. We met with the fire chief and police officials. We gave them a fire truck from the volunteer money. Constables in Toronto had raised $110,000 selling T-shirts at $10 each and they did not trust anyone to give the money to the police officers except me. I said, "No. You come, too." They were on the stage as well. We were joined by Mayor Giuliani, who presented us with a proclamation declaring that day "Canada Loves New York Day." We also got a letter from President Bush commending us for our efforts.

At the end of all this, instead of 3,500 people, it was estimated by the New York Police that close to 30,000 Canadians went across the border to take part in this. We closed down 53rd Street and put up big screens. Some 8,000 people saw the event from the outside and 3,500 from the inside, and another 15,000 to 18,000 just wandered around the streets of New York.

Finally, the night before, Mr. Chrétien contacted us; he came and walked the streets, too. My one request of the federal government — and they obliged — was for two RCMP officers to be present. It was one of our proudest moments. We lit up Times Square with our commercial and we lit up the Empire State Building for one day, not in red, white and blue but in red and white.

This was the largest invasion of Canadians since the War of 1812. We won the War of 1812, by the way, despite what my American colleagues say. I have this debate whenever I go to Congress. There are paintings in Congress with captions describing how they beat us on Lake Erie in 1813. It is not so. We won the War of 1812 and, quite frankly, we inundated the United States and New York that day.

At the end of the event, there was not a dry eye in the room. Senator Wallin was there and she was fantastic. Mayor Giuliani turned to me and said, "Senator, this is the most moving event since 9/11." I said, "Mayor, with all due respect, you're full of crap. This is not the most moving event since 9/11. This is a moving event, but you have seen more emotional events than this." He said, "No. This is real politics. I can get 25,000 people to show up at Madison Square Garden or the ballpark any day. What you did, senator, is brought 30,000 Canadians to New York. That is real politics." I said, "Mayor, wrong again. Let me tell you something about Canada." I leave honourable senators with this thought: "If you show Canadians how to do the right thing, get out of the way; they will surprise you every time."

That event had little to do with me or with Pamela Wallin or others who organized it; it had to do with the great generosity of Canadians who came from coast to coast to coast to demonstrate an act of friendship with the United States when they were in need.

I want to commend Senator Wallin for bringing this resolution forward. Twenty-eight innocent Canadians lost their lives during 9/11. Members of every religion, including Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i, lost their lives. This was an act of indiscriminate terrorism, where innocent people of all faiths lost their lives. I want to support Senator Wallin in this effort and I commend her for bringing this forward.

Hon. Senators: Hear, hear!

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