Joly says around 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon as violence escalates

By Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press on September 20, 2024.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly speaks to reporters at the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Joly has revealed that there are "around 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon" whom Ottawa would try evacuating if needed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says close to 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon months after warning there is no guarantee Ottawa can evacuate them if the situation deteriorates further.

Joly has been urging Canadians to leave the country for months after attacks between Israel and Lebanon.

But the government has never been clear how many people that includes.

Global Affairs Canada has only provided the number of Canadians who proactively registered with the embassy, a figure that stood at around 21,400 people in July.

Joly said today the government believes around 45,000 Canadians are actually there.

Joly says she is “very concerned” by escalating violence in Lebanon including the deadly attacks, widely attributed to Israel, involving exploding pagers and walkie-talkies.

Global Affairs Canada has noted reports that children were killed in the attack, which is said to have targeted Hezbollah militants.