OTTAWA - Canada has put a plan in motion to evacuate its citizens from Egypt as anti-government protests continue to rock the North African country.
Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says charter flights will begin to fly Canadians out of the country as early as tomorrow.
He says those who chose to get on those flights will be taken to locations in Europe and will be expected to make their own arrangements for onward travel.
The stranded Canadians will also have to repay the government for the price of the chartered flights.
Cannon says there have been no reports of Canadians injured or killed in the Egyptian demonstrations which are now in their sixth day. But he says Canada is now recommending that citizens leave Egypt.
The Canadian government continues to urge the Egyptian government to bring in democratic and economic reform, but refuses to intervene in what it still considers an internal political matter.
There are some 6,500 Canadians in Egypt, which has descended into chaos after six days of demonstrations demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
The autocratic leader, who has been in power for 30 years, has named his first-ever vice-president, fired his cabinet and promised reforms, but protesters are still demanding that he step down.
The official death toll from the crisis stands at 97, with thousands injured, but reports from witnesses across the country indicate the actual toll is far higher.
Canadians who are in Egypt are being advised to "carefully evaluate" their security, avoid all demonstrations and keep a supply of basic food on hand.
Canada's move to remove citizens from the North African country comes alongside a similar announcement from the U.S. The American embassy in Cairo said it was making arrangements to transport Americans who want to leave to "safehaven locations in Europe." Those flights would begin on Monday.
Meanwhile, several Arab nations, including Iraq, have either sent in jets to take their citizens home or have offered to do so.
