'It is time to leave': Joly to meet with Lebanese PM amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she will meet with Lebanon's prime minister in New York on Saturday amid the escalating conflict between Israel and militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Joly also confirmed two Canadians were among those killed and three others were injured during Israel's recent airstrikes against Lebanon. ۴ý first reported late Tuesday that the two Canadians killed are husband and wife Hussein and Daad Tabaja.
"I would like to give my condolences to the families and loved ones of Canadians that have been killed or injured, and my goal is to be in contact with the families in the coming hours," Joly said to reporters on Wednesday.
Husein and Daad Tabaja lived in southern Lebanon but were also Canadian citizens who moved to Ottawa in the 1990s to raise their six children.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have steadily escalated since the war broke out nearly one year ago between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. This week, Israel started an airstrike campaign against targets in Lebanon, that Lebanese officials say have killed more than 600 people and displaced thousands. Meanwhile, Hezbollah says it is attacking Israel in support of its Palestinian ally, Hamas, and will not stop until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Israel's army chief said his country is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon.
For months, the federal government has been urging Canadians in Lebanon to leave while commercial flights are still available. Joly is reiterating that message.
"I've been saying to Canadians in Lebanon to come back home," Joly said. "I've been saying also to Canadians wanting to go to Lebanon, don't go. Why? Because, as foreign minister, my priority is to make sure that Canadians are safe."
On Wednesday, the NDP called on the federal government to get Canadians in Lebanon out of the country. In response to that call, Joly said Canada is working with allies but commercial flights are "the simplest and safest way" to leave.
"It is important to be able to leave by air now," Joly said. "It is much more difficult to leave by other means."
Joly also pointed to the port of Beirut explosion in 2020 which complicates matters.
"Let's all remember that the difference between 2006 and now is that the port of Beirut exploded a couple of years ago, and that also complicates the way an evacuation could happen in Lebanon," Joly explained. "Based on that, we've worked on (a) different contingency plan, but fundamentally it is important to leave now."
Before question period on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an end to the violence.
"This is a horrific situation through which they're going. We need to see both Israel and Hezbollah deescalate. (We) need to see an end to violence. We need to see civilians protected," Trudeau said.
Joly also repeated her call for a ceasefire in Gaza and her support for a two-state solution, "where Israelis and Palestinian people will be able to live side by side in peace and security."
According to Joly, Canada has increased its diplomatic presence in Beirut over the past few weeks. Nearly 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon.
With files from ۴ý’ Heather Wright
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
Scientists looked at images from space to see how fast Antarctica is turning green. Here's what they found
Parts of icy Antarctica are turning green with plant life at an alarming rate as the region is gripped by extreme heat events, according to new research, sparking concerns about the changing landscape on this vast continent.
A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by ۴ý Toronto show.
A 6-year-old girl was kidnapped in Arkansas in 1995. Almost 30 years later, a suspect was identified
Nearly 30 years after a six-year-old girl disappeared in Western Arkansas, authorities have identified a suspect in her abduction through DNA evidence.
A Michigan man is charged with killing and dismembering a janitor he met on the Grindr dating app
Prosecutors have charged a Michigan man with killing and dismembering a janitor he met on the dating app Grindr.
NEW
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
Haitian gang kills at least 70 people, including 3 infants, UN says
Armed men belonging to the Gran Grif gang killed at least 70 people, including three infants, as they swept through a Haitian town shooting automatic rifles at residents, a spokesperson for the United Nations' Human Rights Office said on Friday.
DEVELOPING
At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.
Local Spotlight
Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.
A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.
The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.
A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.
Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north
What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.
The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.
New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.