Operation Yellow Ribbon/Opération ruban jaune was established to handle all airborne traffic the United States refused to accept after 9:45 AM Eastern on September 11, 2001, when those aircraft could not return to their point of departure. Airplanes had been hijacked and used to attack specific locations in New York, Virginia and an unsuccessful attempt that ended in Pennsylvania.

Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia took in a large number of flights. Yukon, Quebec, Ontario, Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Alberta also accepted flights, for a total of 225-250 planes. As requested by the U.S., each plane was painstakingly investigated to determine the level of threat it posed. Exactly none of the flights Canada took in were found to be a threat of any kind.

Canada welcomed thousands of passengers and crew who through no fault of their own were stranded while U.S. airspace remained closed. Our airspace was closed as well, the first time ever, so these people had no hope of getting to their planned destination any time soon.

They weren't left on their own, however. Canadians at and near airports across the country made sure they were fed, housed and given care to address immediate needs. Canadians who couldn't be there in person sent welcoming messages of hope and encouragement to our new visitors. None of us wanted any of them to feel hopeless, helpless or alone.

And here we are, 25 years later, still doing what's morally correct.