Canada will add an additional $15 million to its humanitarian aid package for Lebanon as the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese-based militant group Hezbollah escalates.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said the new funding will help Canada and international aid groups provide food, water, emergency medical care and other assistance in Lebanon, but the exact allocation is still being determined. do not have.
“This conflict has taken a terrible toll on civilians in Lebanon and abroad,” Hussen said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“As of today, Canada has committed $25 million to support the humanitarian response to support the most vulnerable civilians in Lebanon.”
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said the additional federal funds will go towards food, water, emergency medical services and protection services for those most in need in Lebanon.
The new $15 million in funding comes on top of the $10 million in aid announced by Hussen in late September.
He said $6 million of the previously announced funds would be divided between the Red Cross and the Humanitarian Coalition, with up to $3 million each contributing to their respective Lebanon aid campaigns.
Similarly, $4 million will be shared between the United Nations Refugee Agency and the World Food Programme.
Canada is also sending relief supplies from its stockpile, including 5,000 blankets and 1,000 hygiene kits.
Hussen said more than 2,000 people were killed in Lebanon, including two Canadians, and thousands of civilians were injured. He said the conflict was putting enormous pressure on local humanitarian organizations.
Hussen said there is an urgent need for food, medicine, shelter materials and emergency medical care.
The Humanitarian Coalition called on Canadians to donate in a press release, saying donations sent between September 24 and November 23 will be eligible for a matching contribution from the government.
The coalition is made up of 12 of Canada’s largest aid organizations.
“Many of our member organizations have been working in Lebanon for decades and are already providing lifesaving essentials,” Executive Director Richard Morgan said in a release.
“But the scale of this emergency is devastating. The humanitarian needs are enormous.”
The build-up of military forces has caused large-scale displacement in Lebanon, with many people forced to leave their homes without basic necessities and suffering psychological damage, the coalition said.
It added that Lebanon’s 978 shelters are nearly full and many displaced people are sleeping outdoors, putting them at risk as the weather gets colder.
CBC News’ chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with Ahmad Arazi, a Lebanese-Canadian who is in Beirut waiting for information about government-reserved seats on commercial flights.
Global Affairs Canada said more than 1,150 Canadians, permanent residents and their immediate families left Lebanon on government-chartered flights. He is also said to have helped about 250 people escape from Lebanon from other countries.
The agency said it currently receives fewer than 100 new requests per day for information on departure options, and that all eligible travelers have been offered departures, have already departed, or have several days left. It is said that they will be able to depart within the next few days.
Global Affairs Canada said 205 people left Lebanon on Monday and Tuesday.
As of Oct. 8, there were more than 25,000 Canadians registered in Lebanon, but the government said the actual number could be higher because registration is voluntary. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said there are an estimated 45,000 Canadians in the country.
The federal government is warning people to evacuate Lebanon as fighting intensifies in the region. Lebanese-Canadian Stephanie Mukhaibah said she made the “very personal” decision to stay because leaving was not worth the “logistical nightmare”.
On Wednesday, Hussen renewed his call for Canadians to leave Lebanon.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the current focus is on helping Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as their children’s spouses, obtain the documents they need to travel.
“Additionally, we are prioritizing the processing of certain types of family-class permanent resident applications,” spokeswoman Renee Proctor said in an emailed statement.
