Politics
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says only half of the Canadians in Lebanon who have been contacted by her department and offered seats on commercial flights out of the country have taken up the offer.
Emergency debate on Lebanon to take place in House of Commons tonightNick Murray · CBC News
· Posted: Oct 01, 2024 12:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 44 minutes ago
A Middle East Airlines airplane flies over Beirut as smoke rises from Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Canada’s Global Affairs Minister says 200 Canadians have left on government-booked commercial airline seats over the weekend. (Bilal Hussein/Associated Press)Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says only half of the Canadians in Lebanon who have been contacted by her department and offered seats on commercial flights out of the country have taken up the offer.
Speaking to reporters outside the House of Commons on Tuesday, Joly said Global Affairs Canada reached out to 1,700 people who sought more information about securing flights out of Lebanon.
“Only 50 per cent have taken the offer,” Joly said, adding more than 4,000 people have contacted GAC for information on how to get on one of those flights.
Last week, Joly announced her department had begun booking blocks of seats on commercial airliners to facilitate Canadians’s departure from Lebanon.
On Tuesday, Joly said her department was able to get 200 Canadians out of Lebanon over the weekend. She said another 200 would be leaving Beirut for Istanbul later in the day.
Joly said the government has secured 600 seats on flights leaving Beirut for Istanbul and is looking for more.
“If you are offered a seat, please take it. It is time to Lebanon now,” Joly said.
“The reality is the seats that we have been securing have not all been taken.”
WATCH | ‘This is a very dangerous time,’ Joly says
‘This is a very dangerous time for the Middle East,’ says Joly following Iran’s attacks on IsraelForeign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the attacks must ‘stop’ and Canada is following all developments very closely. Joly says about 200 Canadians were able to get out of Lebanon over the weekend.
Emergency debate this eveningThe House of Commons will hold an emergency debate this evening on the crisis in Lebanon as Israel’s ground incursion intensifies fears of a full-scale invasion.
Members of Parliament will weigh in on how Ottawa should respond to the Israeli ground operation that started early this morning, and the airstrikes that have destroyed apartment buildings in Beirut.
Israel says it’s undertaking a limited incursion and that its actions are aimed at ending Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on northern Israel. Israeli citizens evacuated the region months ago.
Israeli strikes have killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader — Hassan Nasrallah — and civilians, including two Canadians whose sons say were trying to flee to safety on a congested highway.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has said there are about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon and she has warned for months that evacuating people might not be possible if commercial flights stop.
House Speaker Greg Fergus has accepted a request by NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson for an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the crisis and its evacuation measures.
With files from The Canadian Press
