Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon ‘confident’ in potential evacuation plan

Canada’s ambassador to Lebanon says she is “confident” in plans to evacuate Canadians out of Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, but is still urging those there to leave.

In an interview with CTV Power Play’s Vassy Kapelos on Thursday, Ambassador Stefanie McCollum said around 20,000 of the 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon are registered with Global Affairs.

When asked by Kapelos whether Canada has the capacity to get 20,000 Canadians out of Lebanon, if need be, McCollum said “we’re confident in our planning.”

The ambassador also told Kapelos that Canada’s plan is “multi-phase” and “meant to adapt to whatever environment exists.”

“It has to be safe for Canadians to actually move to avail themselves of any option that we might be able to offer,” McCollum said. “So the plan is not only one option, but multiple options depending on the situation we find ourselves in and, again, it’s one we hope we don’t find ourselves in.”

For months, the federal government has been urging Canadians in Lebanon to leave while commercial flights are still available. McCollum pushed that message on Thursday.

“Our advice hasn’t changed. We think Canadians should be availing themselves of those options and certainly be in touch with us if they’re having difficulty,” McCollum said.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have steadily escalated since the war broke out nearly one year ago between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group.

There is a new diplomatic push to prevent a regional war from erupting in the Middle East, with Canada and its allies calling for an immediate 21-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Hezbollah. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected that call on Thursday.

Despite that, McCollum says Canada and others “have to keep pushing for that.”

“Too many innocent civilians are being killed and injured, and it has to stop, and so we need to keep pushing for it to stop,” McCollum said.

You can watch the full interview with Canada’s Ambassador to Lebanon Stefanie McCollum at the top of this article