Halifax, Nova Scotia ? President Bush delivered a long-awaited thank you Wednesday to the Canadian people for taking in tens of thousands of Americans who were stranded when their flights were diverted after the 9-11 attacks, and he challenged the Canadian government to help more in Iraq and the war on terror.

In fact, the president’s address to a small crowd in a renovated waterfront warehouse here appeared to be two speeches: one a message of genuine appreciation for Canadians’ help to the United States at a dire time, but the second an outline of his global vision and a testament to his desire to heal fractured relationships with foreign allies who consider him a stubborn unilateralist.

“How does a person say thank you to a nation?” Bush asked the audience of citizens, federal and local officials. “Well, that’s something a president can do. And so let me say directly to the Canadian people, and to all of you here today who welcomed Americans, thank you for your kindness to America in an hour of need.”

The second expanded on broader themes.

Bush said his next presidential term would give him an opportunity to “reach out to our friends” and “foster a wide international consensus” on three goals: spreading freedom abroad, improving international cooperation in the war on terror and expanding democracy in the Middle East.

“The first great commitment is to defend our security and spread freedom by building effective multinational and multilateral institutions and supporting multilateral action,” the president said.

Yet despite that call, Bush took shots at the United Nations, repeating complaints he made during the debate over whether to support a U.S.-led military action against Iraq.

“The objective of the U.N. and other institutions must be collective security, not endless debate,” Bush said. “For the sake of peace, when those bodies promise serious consequences, serious consequences must follow.”

Canada joined coalition forces in the war in Afghanistan but opposed the Iraq war. Still, Bush urged Canada to step up efforts in postwar Iraq and to play a greater role in combating global terrorism.

He thanked Canada for recently forgiving $450 million in Iraqi debt, but stressed, “There’s more work to be done together.”