Embassy in Lebanon prepared to help 17,000 Canadians evacuate if necessary, ambassador says
Canada鈥檚 ambassador to Lebanon says the embassy and its staff are ready to assist the approximately 17,000 registered Canadians in the country should they need to evacuate, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
Stefanie McCollum told CTV鈥檚 Power Play host Vassy Kapelos in an exclusive television interview airing Tuesday that 鈥減lanning is underway鈥 for possible assisted departures, and that she 鈥渇eel(s) prepared鈥 if the federal government announces it鈥檒l go ahead with that measure.
鈥淲e feel ready to be able to help Canadian citizens with their requirements should Canada proceed with an assisted departure, yes,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t will take time and the numbers are significant, but in terms of preparing, in terms of having a plan, in terms of having a whole-of-government capacity to respond, I do believe we鈥檙e there.鈥
The fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks, and the Canadian government has been warning of the deteriorating security situation in the region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has been imploring Canadians in Lebanon to come home, saying earlier this week: 鈥渋t is time.鈥
But Joly has not said whether the Canadian government is prepared to launch and pay for flights for the thousands of citizens currently in Lebanon to evacuate.
She encouraged Canadians to 鈥済et out鈥 of Lebanon using the still-available commercial flights.
鈥淲hat I would say is the situation in Lebanon right now is unpredictable and volatile,鈥 McCollum said. 鈥淲e're watching closely the daily skirmishes that are happening along the southern border.鈥
She added, 鈥淩ight now those skirmishes seem to be contained, so we are hoping that no escalation or spread of the current conflict reaches Lebanon."
When asked whether, based on her assessment of the risks, she would leave the country on a commercial flight if she weren鈥檛 the ambassador and required to be there, McCollum didn't directly answer.
鈥淚 think Canadians have to assess their own personal situation, they have to assess what type of environment is available to them, how safe they are, and do they have support networks,鈥 she said.
鈥淎s an employee of the embassy, we have a certain infrastructure and networks here that I can avail myself of, my employer provides me some support, and I think I would factor that into my decision making.鈥
鈥淏ut all Canadians have to factor that into their decision making and we are advising Canadians that it's safe to leave now and they should do so,鈥 McCollum said.
Last week, fearing the Israel-Hamas war could spread, and accounting for the fighting in southern Lebanon, the Canadian government issued an 鈥渁void all travel鈥 advisory for the country.
While approximately 17,000 Canadians in Lebanon have registered with the embassy 鈥 an increase that McCollum said she鈥檚 鈥減leased鈥 to see so staff can keep track of everyone 鈥 it鈥檚 unclear how many citizens are there who have not registered. It鈥檚 also unclear how many have already heeded the government鈥檚 advice and left the country via a commercial flight.
The Canadian government last evacuated approximately 14,370 citizens out of Lebanon in July 2006, also amid fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, at a total cost of $94 million at the time.
McCollum said the Canadian embassy in Beirut has built lessons learned from that situation into its planning for any future possible evacuations.
鈥淥ur planning is robust and takes into account all sorts of scenarios,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t's been exercised quite a bit.鈥
Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of this article.
With files from CTVNews.ca鈥檚 Senior Digital Parliamentary Reporter Rachel Aiello
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP needs to decide whether 4 million Canadians deserve dental care: minister
Procurement Minister and newly appointed Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos is warning the NDP that the dental care program it helped put into place will be in jeopardy if it pulls its support from the governing Liberals.
What is the U.S. Electoral College? America's path to the presidency, explained
In less than two months, Americans will go to the polls to choose their next president. But the process that translates those millions of votes into one seat in the Oval Office is much more complicated than a straight tally.
'Imminent catastrophe': Hezbollah hits back with more than 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of Israel
Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets early Sunday across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa, as Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Lebanon. The sides appeared to be spiraling toward all-out war following months of escalating tensions.
Why an Alaska island is using peanut butter and black lights to find a rat that might not exist
On an island of windswept tundra in the Bering Sea, hundreds of miles from mainland Alaska, a resident sitting outside their home saw 鈥 well, did they see it? They were pretty sure they saw it.
Coffee could be more than a morning pick-me-up, according to new research
A morning cup of coffee may do more than just perk you up, according to new research.
Building collapse in Naples leaves 2 siblings dead and mother and another woman trapped
A two-story building collapsed in the southern Italian province of Naples early Sunday, killing two young siblings and leaving their mother and an older woman trapped, firefighters said.
Sunken superyacht believed to contain watertight safes with sensitive intelligence data
Specialist divers surveying the wreckage of the US$40 million superyacht that sank off Sicily in August, killing seven people including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, have asked for heightened security to guard the vessel, over concerns that sensitive data locked in its safes may interest foreign governments, multiple sources told CNN.
Childhood sleep issues may raise suicide risk, study finds
If your child sometimes has trouble sleeping, it may be easy to chalk it up to a phase they will grow out of one day. But a new study suggests possible serious consequences for this line of thought 鈥 such as a higher risk for suicidal ideation or attempts when they are older.
Republicans in swing states say they see scant signs of groups door-knocking for Trump
Republican activists in swing states say they have seen little sign of the teams tasked with knocking on doors and turning out infrequent voters on behalf of Donald Trump, raising concerns about the party's presidential nominee relying on outside groups for an important part of his campaign operations.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.