Fewer Canadians abroad seek help as hundreds flee war in Middle East: GAC – National
The federal government has seen calls for help from Canadians abroad drop by more than half since last week, Global Affairs Canada said Tuesday, as hundreds of citizens and permanent residents flee to the Middle East amid the war with Iran.
The department said it is also seeing fewer Canadians take up government promises of commercial airline seats and ground transportation as flights resume in some parts of the region.
The war has led many Gulf countries to close their airspace and suspend air traffic as Iran fires missiles and drones at its neighbors, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians.
US and Israeli air strikes on Iran – which US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned would intensify on Tuesday – have killed at least 1,230 people since the war began 11 days ago.
“At this time, we are not aware of any Canadians being injured or killed as a result of the conflict,” Global Affairs Canada said in a recent update.
More than 110,700 Canadians in the Middle East have registered with the Canadian government overseas as of Tuesday, although the actual number of Canadians in the region may be higher.
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Global Affairs Canada said that, between March 4 and March 8, more than 4,300 Canadians, permanent residents and family members arrived in Canada from the Middle East.
The government has largely assisted in the removal of 871 Canadians and permanent residents from the region to a safe third country since March 4, the department said.
It noted that the number of calls to the government’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Center has dropped from a peak of nearly 1,400 a day last week to more than 600 on Sunday.
“Due to the resumption of commercial flights in some parts of the region, the number of Canadians and permanent residents has decreased in seats on flights and ground transportation coordinated by the Government of Canada,” the update said.
The department noted that Canadians in the region have been notified of upcoming flights from Beirut in the coming days and “planned road travel” from Bahrain.
The government chartered at least one flight from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul, blocked hundreds of commercial airline seats and helped bus Canadians to safe third countries in recent days.
Canadians wishing to leave Iran are still being advised to cross the border into neighboring countries such as Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, where Canadian embassy officials have been deployed to provide assistance with travel documents and travel arrangements.
Those Canadians who choose to travel through Iran to the border do so “voluntarily” and will not be assisted in their journey, the department said.
The current list of Middle Eastern countries called “avoid all travel” by the Canadian government includes Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Canadians are advised to avoid non-essential travel if possible to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
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