OTTAWA - Two more Canadian military planes are being dispatched to the eastern Mediterranean to help with the evacuation of Canadians in Libya.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay tells CTV News' Question Period the pair of Hercules transport aircraft were deployed and could be used to land in austere areas of Libya outside of the capital Tripoli.
An estimated 100 Canadians are still trapped in the country, many of them believed to be oil workers.
The British military, including members of its special forces, used a Hercules to fly under the Libyan radar and rescue 150 Britons and foreign nationals in a desert area.
A spokesman for the prime minister said Stephen Harper was spending the day in briefings on the evolving situation in Libya.
Dimitri Soudas said Harper spoke in depth with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The two were said to be pleased with the UN Security Council's decision Saturday to adopt a set of sanctions against Libya.
Harper has asked his officials to advise him on sanctions Canada could slap on Libya, and would like the UN to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court.
A Canadian forces C-17 aircraft evacuated 46 people including its diplomatic staff from Libya on Saturday.
Two C-17 planes are currently stationed in Malta.
The Conservative government has faced criticism that it has not responded quickly enough to the needs of Canadians stranded in Libya.
