I have been trying to find any reports on the number of Canadians

[Spazito]

in Lebanon and what the Canadian government is trying to do to evacuate them and can find nothing either in the news or on the Government of Canada site. I doubt there are NO Canadians there so why is there no coverage about them or am I just missing the reports?

Has anyone read or heard anything on this?

Edited to add: Found this little gem on CBC:

Many in the Lebanese-Canadian community are asking the federal government to help vacationing Canadians trapped in the country to return home. The government has said it has no plans to extract Canadian nationals.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/07/14/lebanon-advisory.html

(Note there are no numbers given as to how many Canadians are there. Very poor reporting, imo.)

[tuvor]

1. I thought I heard something on either the CBC or CTV cable channel.

I wasn't paying close attention, but I thought they mentioned something like 5,000 Canadians in the region.

Sorry, didn't catch whether they said anything about evacuations.

[Spazito]

2. Thanks! I will re-check CBC and CTV websites to see if they have

anything. I personally don't know of anyone there but, after hearing about the number of Americans there and the difficulty in getting them out, I realized I had heard nothing from Harper on this so was curious.

[tuvor]

3. Forgot to mention, I heard this yesterday.

Hopefully there'll be follow-up today for you.

[Spazito]

5. All I could find was what I added as an edit to my OP...

where the Canadian government is making no plans to help Canadians to leave Lebanon but with no explanation of why not, what numbers, etc. I am getting the feeling this subject is as taboo as reporting about the deaths of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, sadly.

[CHIMO]

4. 10,000 Registered

In Beirut.

Canada advises against travel to Lebanon, urges Canadians to stay indoors
14, 2006 - 3:10 pm

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Amber Dickey says about 10,000 Canadians in Lebanon are registered with the embassy in Beirut.

http://www.news1130.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n071461A

[Spazito]

6. Thanks, Chimo!

Looks like our Harper government would rather sweep this under the same carpet as they tried to do with the deaths of soldiers in Afghanistan given the report that they have no intention of trying to help Canadians leave Lebanon.

[tuvor]

7. Just heard on CKNW

They used a feed from a CNN reporter who said that basically, bridges and roads have been bombed to such a degree that there's no way out.

(The airport's out of commission, too, isn't it?)

[Spazito]

8. Yes, there is no easy way out now, the US government is talking

about possibly using helicopters, etc, in attempts to remove the 25,000 Americans there. I am sure a large part of the concern about the Americans there is the fear of anti-American retaliation being possible. Normally, I would not have the same worry because previous Canadian governments had taken a reasoned, balanced approach in their response to crises like this but, given Harper's response being totally without balance, my concern is heightened somewhat.

[tuvor]

9. CNN/AP: European citizens to be evacuated from Lebanon

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2392094&mesg_id=2392094

[Spazito]

10. It seems like just about every country EXCEPT Canada (Harper) is concerned

about their citizens. This is outrageous, imo. The LEAST we should expect is some expression of concern by our government and reassurances that they are doing their best to ensure those who wish to leave will be helped. So far, I have found nothing to that effect.

Thanks, tuvor, for the link.

[tuvor]

11. Canada's plan for Canucks in Lebanon: remain indoors and stay put

Canada advises against travel to Lebanon, urges Canadians to stay indoors

14, 2006 - 3:10 pm

OTTAWA (CP) - The violence in the Middle East has prompted the Canadian government to warn against all travel to Lebanon.

Foreign Affairs has issued a travel advisory also asking Canadians in Lebanon to remain indoors and stay put until further notice.

Israel has struck at targets deep inside Lebanon in retaliation for a Wednesday attack by Hezbollah forces that saw two Israeli soldiers captured and taken into Lebanese territory.

The offensive is Israel's strongest attack on Lebanon since it invaded and occupied the country 24 years ago.

http://www.news1130.com/news/national/article.jsp?content=n071461A

(Sorry, Spazito. I'm not exactly a blanket of comfort today.)

[Spazito]

12. LOL, actually you are exactly that as you are providing the thread

(and me) with actual information, it is much appreciated. I started out asking this question more in curiosity than concern but given the total lack of info from our government beyond the bit of them not planning to help Canadians evacuate from Lebanon, my curiosity has grown into both concern and anger.

[Spazito]

13. Canadians stuck in Lebanon told to stay indoors

The Canadian government is advising its citizens in Lebanon to stay indoors and limit their movements as much as possible, as Israeli forces hammer away at Hezbollah guerillas deep into Lebanese territory.


However, Canadian Chady Moustarah, stranded in Lebanon with four family members, said he wants the Canadian government to get its citizens out of the country.


"I don't know what they're thinking. Are they not seeing what we're seeing?" he told his sister Shadia in Edmonton by phone on Saturday.


The Canadian government has said it will evacuate its citizens if the situation deteriorates. There are about 10,000 Canadians registered as being in Lebanon, according to the Foreign Affairs Department in Ottawa.

more

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060714/mideast_stranded_060715/20060715?hub=Canada

[daleo]

14. Harper's advice to Canadians in Lebanon

Stay indoors, and try to avoid explosions.

[Spazito]

15. Yep, impressive eh!

I bet he put a lot of work into that missive.

[tuvor]

16. "Stay put and stay indoors" just cost five Canadians their lives.

CNN - 5 killed in Lebanon today held Canadian citizenship

just an alert banner right now.

http://www.cnn.com /


Security officials say five of those killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon held Canadian citizenship, The Associated Press reports.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2393323&mesg_id=2393323

[Spazito]

19. Now it is eight Canadians, with 6 others critically wounded...

I guess they didn't do as Harper said "Stay inside and avoid the bombs" so it must be their fault. I KNOW I don't need to use the sarcasm smilie for this statement.

NOW Harper is going to try and evacuate Canadians, I guess there has been enough blood spilled to make it worthwhile.

I am disgusted.

Edited to add link to article re 8 dead, 6 cricically wounded.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060716/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_canadians_killed

[Jazz2006]

20. Conflicting reports...

This one says 7 dead and 3 wounded...even though the time on it is an hour more recent.

I'm inclined to believe the higher number despite the time discrepancy and am actually a bit surprised that there aren't even more deaths thanks to the slow response by the Harper gov't.

http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/TopStories/ContentPosting.aspx?newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20060715%2fmideast_attacks_060716&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V2&showbyline=True

It also says that there are 21,000 Canadians registered at the embassy in Beirut but that officials believe that there are up to 50,000 Canadians currently in Lebanon.

It also says that the gov't has leased some ships to evacuate Canadians, etc. but, for crying out loud, they should have been moving a hell of a lot faster than this. They have had several days already, and there is no telling how many more days it will take before the evacuation actually begins.

Infuriating.

[Spazito]

21. I just heard the 50,000 figure on CTV Newsnet but thought I had

misheard it and it was 15,00, thank you for confirming that number, I am outraged at our government, at Harper, at the US for vetoing the UN resolution to seek a ceasefire.

[Jazz2006]

22. You are more than justified in being outraged,

because the whole *pre-emptive edit to remove the F word because I make it a point not to use such language but for a moment, I couldn't help myself* thing IS an outrage.

[Spazito]

23. ROFL, thanks for making me laugh, it helps the blood pressure at

this moment. I, too, had to work REALLY hard at not attaching a string of expletives to describe my outrage, I was SO tempted.

[Jazz2006]

24. LOL ~ well, I'm glad I'm not the only one!!!

Thanks for that!

[tuvor]

17. McKay's "making plans"

Five Lebanese-Canadians killed in Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CP) - Lebanese security officials say five Lebanese-Canadians from a single family have been killed in an Israeli air raid that hit a Lebanese town on the border with Israel.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the five were killed at their home in the town of Aitaroun, which abuts the border.

They say two other people were killed and three wounded in the same airstrike.

The victims were not identified.

TV stations are reporting that the family had gone to Lebanon from Canada to spend the summer holidays in the town.

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay says he cannot confirm the report.

But he says the government is making plans to evacuate people by boat.

[Jazz2006]

18. Thanks, tuvor and Spazito...

I've been away since Friday afternoon visiting a friend and completely out of the news loop (no television, no internet, no newspapers) ~ I appreciate finding these links here in one place.