Defence Minister Bill Blair participates in a media availability at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, on July 18, 2024.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Canadian citizen Fatima Haidar and her family arrived in Paris on Tuesday, after spending more than a week fleeing escalating violence in Lebanon.
“We’re exhausted, we’re shaken, we’re terrified,” said Ms. Haidar, who left her home in the city of Nabatieh, where she ran a school called the Canadian Lebanese Academy of Excellence.
The journey took Ms. Haidar, her husband, two adult children and two grandsons north to Beirut just over a week ago. The trip is typically a one-hour drive, but it took them 14 hours because of heavy traffic.
They spent three nights in the Lebanese capital, unable to leave after two flights they had booked were cancelled. They drove to Syria last Thursday, and then on to Jordan on Saturday, before flying to Turkey and finally France on Tuesday.
The family’s harrowing journey took place as the federal government repeatedly urged Canadians to leave Lebanon. On Tuesday, the government said it is stepping up its efforts to evacuate Canadians, relying on commercial flights to facilitate their exit, but ruling out the use of military flights at this point.
A senior official at Global Affairs Canada, speaking at a background briefing, said 100 Canadians left on Sunday, flying from Beirut to the Turkish capital of Ankara, and 200 were scheduled to leave on a flight on Tuesday. Three additional flights were scheduled in coming days.
The official said there is a US$330 cost for seats on the commercial aircraft Canada is relying on, and there has been no issue yet with people being able to cover the costs. There is a program to provide financial assistance for those who need it.
Yacht captains in Lebanon shift focus to help people flee escalating Israel-Hezbollah conflict
The official said 20,000 people registered in a system that keeps Canadians apprised of travel advice from the government. About 4,000 said they were interested in receiving specific information on flight options.
The official said 1,700 people were found eligible for participation in the program, and interested in leaving in the short term,
Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly urged Canadians to take up the options offered by the government to get out of Lebanon. “If you are offered a seat, please take it. It’s time to leave Lebanon now,” Ms. Joly said Tuesday.
The Haider family, however, said they faced challenges when they sought help from Canadian officials. Ms. Haidar said she called the Canadian embassy last week, but said she was told they were not helping anyone evacuate at that time. She said she couldn’t even get information on which roads were safe – “she told me consult a travel agent.”
The journey and bombings have left the family on edge. Ms. Haidar said her grandsons, who are aged six and 10, are traumatized and jump at any loud noise, such as a door slamming.
Ms. Haidar said many of her students and their families – most of whom are also Canadian – are still trying to leave Lebanon. A biology teacher at her school was killed in an attack.
“We are among the lucky civilians of Lebanon who have a Canadian passport and enough money to flee,” said Ms. Haidar, 59.
Jade Youssef arrived in Toronto on Sunday on a flight from Beirut that he had worried would not be able to take off.
“Even when we were waiting at the boarding place, there were like four bombs around the airport. And I was thinking, ‘Oh, my God, they’re not gonna cancel,” he said. “Finally, thank God, we boarded and came here.”
Mr. Youssef, a Canadian citizen, said he wanted to leave Lebanon with his son as soon as possible, rather than waiting for help from the federal government. He said the extra airline seats Ottawa arranged are not enough.
“In cases like this, I think the government should help,” said Mr. Youssef, 65, who split his time between Toronto and southern Lebanon before the air strikes began.
Mr. Youssef’s elderly mother is still in Beirut, where she is staying with a relative. Mr. Youssef said he would appreciate help getting her to safety on humanitarian grounds, but doubts that would happen because of the controversy over the cost of large-scale government evacuations of Canadians from Lebanon in 2006.
At the briefing in Ottawa, Global Affairs said the department will keep reaching out to those who have declined the option of an exit, making information available on flights and new options.
Defence Minister Bill Blair told journalists on Parliament Hill Tuesday that the government is working intensely to facilitate the safe departure of Canadians, saying the number of Canadians in Lebanon may be as high as 45,000.
“If there is an escalation of violence in the region, we know that we will be required to do more in order to assist Canadians,” Mr. Blair said.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference in Ottawa that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spent a significant time talking about the situation with French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Canada last week.
“One thing that I really want to assure Canadians of is we recognize the gravity of the situation,” she said. “We recognize the dangers of escalation.”
Both Mr. Blair and Ms. Joly called for an end to the conflict.
“I think we have to remain hopeful that there is the possibility of a ceasefire or diplomatic resolution of the current conflict,” Mr. Blair said.
In his remarks, the minister was referring to the conflict between Israel and Lebanon though the government has previously made it clear that it would also like to see a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Gaza.
Editor’s note: (Oct. 3, 2024): A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the capital of Turkey as Istanbul. The capital is Ankara. This version has been updated.