Hundreds of Canadians have fled Lebanon on government-booked flights, Joly says
CBC
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says only about a third of the 1,700 Canadians in Lebanon who have been contacted by the department and offered seats on outgoing flights have taken up the government's offer.
In a technical briefing Tuesday afternoon, a senior GAC official said 100 people fled the country Saturday on a Middle East Airlines flight from Beirut to Istanbul, using tickets booked by GAC. Those passengers are still responsible for covering the $330 US cost of their tickets.
Another 200 Canadians were aboard a Middle East Airlines charter flight booked by GAC on Tuesday. The GAC official said there were "a few" no-shows, adding that's the industry standard for airlines.
GAC officials say the department has three more flights out of Lebanon booked for Thursday and Friday, bringing the total number of seats made available on all five flights close to 1,000.
The House of Commons is set to hold an emergency debate this evening on the crisis in Lebanon as Israel's ground incursion intensifies fears of a full-scale invasion.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters outside the House of Commons that only half of those contacted about flights out of Lebanon took up the federal government's offer, and that 400 Canadians had flown out of Lebanon on GAC-arranged tickets since Saturday.
GAC officials later clarified those numbers in the technical briefing to media.
"If you are offered a seat, please take it. It is time to leave Lebanon now," Joly said.
"The reality is the seats that we have been securing have not all been taken."
Joly has said there are about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon and she has warned for months that evacuation might not be possible if commercial flights stop.
GAC officials say 20,000 Canadians are registered with the department's Registration of Canadians Abroad program. All of them were sent intake forms offering more information on how to obtain a GAC commercial airline booking.
Joly said only 4,000 people filled out the intake form — a 20 per cent response rate. GAC says it has contacted 1,700 of those people so far.
Last week, Joly announced her department had started booking blocks of seats on commercial airlines to facilitate Canadians's departure from Lebanon. Those who can't afford a ticket can obtain loans through a GAC consular program.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said recently that while the government is getting Canadians out of Lebanon, those individuals will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements after they leave Lebanon.
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