The federal government acknowledged on Friday that passport delays have made it impossible for some Canadians to leave the Middle East, but said the situation is expected to improve soon as the war in the region approached its third week.
“We are aware of delays affecting delivery of passports in certain parts of the region due to airspace closures. The gradual resumption of air travel will address this issue,” Global Affairs Canada said in a release.
“The Government of Canada takes the safety and security of Canadians and own personnel abroad very seriously and continues to monitor the situation in the Middle East.”
Global Affairs noted specifically in the release that it is monitoring the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, as Israel continued to launch attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in the country.
On Thursday, Canada pledged more than $37.7 million in “critical” humanitarian assistance including food, medical and health services, shelter and clean water, following a request for aid from the Lebanese government.
“Canada continues to monitor the situation in Lebanon and remains in close contact with humanitarian partners to assess and respond to evolving needs,” the release read.
According to recent Global Affairs estimates, there are more than 20,000 Canadians registered as being in Lebanon.
‘Limited in-person services’
The release said that while Canada is continuing to offer consular services out of its embassies in the Middle East, “some Canadian missions have limited in-person services” due to the conflict.
Since the war began on Feb. 28, almost 8,500 Canadians and permanent residents have returned to Canada through direct and indirect routes from the region, according to Global Affairs.
The government has also facilitated the departure of more than 1,000 Canadians and permanent residents to safe third countries, the department said.
On Thursday, Global Affairs said its 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre received just over 400 calls, the lowest number since the conflict began, compared to nearly 1,400 per day at the height of the military activities last week, it said.
“We are now seeing enquiries shift from requests for departure options to questions related to travel documents, travel advice and updates for Canadians registered abroad. Most enquiries in the past day have come from individuals in the UAE, Kuwait and Lebanon,” the release read.
“At this time, we are not aware of any Canadians who have been injured or killed because of the hostilities.”
