Reflections by Mel Cappe
Disclaimer: The summaries and interpretations provided on this page are unofficial and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
Summary
- Mel Cappe served as Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet from 1999 to 2002, making him the head of Canada’s public service and the Prime Minister’s top civil servant during 9/11
- On September 11, 2001, Cappe was in a meeting when his executive assistant interrupted to show him the television coverage of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center
- As Clerk, Cappe had accountability to the full cabinet as Secretary to Cabinet and direct accountability to the Prime Minister as his deputy minister, with the Privy Council Office serving as the PM’s department
- When Cappe called Prime Minister Jean Chrétien at 24 Sussex Drive around 8:39 AM, he initially advised the PM to continue with his planned trip to Halifax to show business as usual, but the Prime Minister correctly disagreed and stayed in Ottawa
- By the time the second plane hit and especially when the third plane struck the Pentagon, it became clear these were not accidents but coordinated attacks
- Cappe immediately called a full deputy ministers meeting for 2 PM that day, recognizing that the crisis would affect all government departments, not just defense and public safety
- A major challenge was that Parliament was not sitting and many key ministers were out of town, including the Minister of National Defense and Chief of Defense Staff who were at a NATO meeting in Bulgaria
- The Vice Chief of Defense Staff, George McDonald, proved to be the right person at the right time because he had just returned from being deputy commander of NORAD and understood North American airspace management
- The crisis revealed relationship gaps between Canadian and US officials, as many of President Bush’s nominees had not yet received Senate approval and key officials were stranded in the wrong countries
- Canadian officials had never met their US counterparts when the director of CSIS and RCMP commissioner were later sent to Washington to meet with FBI and CIA leadership
- Canada’s Communication Security Establishment became valuable to the US National Security Agency because Canada had more language experts and could translate NSA intercepts
- False rumors emerged suggesting the terrorists had entered through Canada, with Senator Hillary Clinton publicly blaming Canada despite evidence that the terrorists were admitted directly by the US from Saudi Arabia
- A critical moment occurred when Deputy Prime Minister John Manley was on a flight from London that needed special permission to continue to Ottawa while all other aircraft were being grounded
- The border closure created severe economic impacts for Canada, with a particularly damaging image in The Economist showing trucks backed up 26 kilometers from the US border
- Alan Gotlieb, head of Customs and Excise, had to create new information systems to track wait times at border crossings, something that hadn’t existed before the crisis
- Canada’s preparation for Y2K proved invaluable for 9/11 response, as the government had established continuity of government plans and conducted crisis exercises
- During a pre-9/11 exercise, the Prime Minister had practiced giving the order to shoot down a civilian aircraft, preparation that became relevant during the actual crisis
- On 9/11, Korean Air Flight 85 was diverted to Whitehorse after issuing a hijack warning, creating another potential shoot-down decision point
Actionable Advice
- Establish and maintain strong interpersonal relationships with counterparts in other agencies and countries before crises occur
- Conduct regular crisis exercises and simulations to prepare leadership for difficult decisions they may need to make under pressure
- Ensure the right people with relevant expertise are available and positioned appropriately during crisis situations
- Create comprehensive information gathering and reporting systems that can provide real-time situational awareness during emergencies
- Develop continuity of government plans and practice implementing them through live exercises
- When facing a crisis, immediately assess whether it will have broad impacts across all departments and include all relevant stakeholders in response planning
- Practice making difficult decisions under time pressure, including scenarios that require authorizing extreme measures
- Build redundant communication systems and protocols for when normal chains of command are disrupted
- Establish clear accountability structures that define who reports to whom during crisis situations
- Prepare for the economic and diplomatic consequences of crisis response measures, not just the immediate security concerns