Wednesday, March 18, 2026
ADVT 
National

More than 5,000 Canadians have fled Middle East, Anand says demand for help dropping

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 Mar, 2026 09:35 AM
  • More than 5,000 Canadians have fled Middle East, Anand says demand for help dropping

Global Affairs Canada says it has helped more than 5,000 Canadians leave the Middle East since the latest conflict began, and demand for evacuation support is now falling off.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is urging Canadians thinking of leaving the Middle East to do so and says the number of daily calls for help is now half what it was last week.

Her department says more than 4,300 Canadians, permanent residents and their relatives fleeing the region arrived in Canada between March 4 and March 8, through direct and indirect routes.

Another 871 people left the region for a safe third country such as Turkey, according to Global Affairs Canada.

As of Sunday, less than five per cent of the nearly 110,000 Canadians registered in the region had sought help to leave.

Global Affairs Canada says it is not aware of any Canadians killed or injured in the violence that started with American airstrikes on Iran on Feb. 28.

Picture Courtesy: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi

MORE National ARTICLES

Canada Post submits overhaul plan to the federal government

Canada Post submits overhaul plan to the federal government
Canada Post says it has submitted a plan to the federal government to transform its struggling business model into a financially sustainable postal service.

Canada Post submits overhaul plan to the federal government

System brings heavy rain, warm weather to B.C. as temperature records fall

System brings heavy rain, warm weather to B.C. as temperature records fall
A weekend weather system in British Columbia brought record rain to some communities while others saw unseasonably high temperatures.

System brings heavy rain, warm weather to B.C. as temperature records fall

Anand says U.S. secretary Rubio has avoided '51st state' chatter as G7 meeting looms

Anand says U.S. secretary Rubio has avoided '51st state' chatter as G7 meeting looms
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hasn't repeated President Donald Trump's musings about making Canada the 51st state during their conversations.

Anand says U.S. secretary Rubio has avoided '51st state' chatter as G7 meeting looms

US flight cancellations expected to drag on even after the government shutdown ends

US flight cancellations expected to drag on even after the government shutdown ends
The flight cancellations at airports across the U.S. are expected to persist even after the government shutdown ends. 

US flight cancellations expected to drag on even after the government shutdown ends

Poilievre lays out market-first opposition to Carney's federal budget in speech

Poilievre lays out market-first opposition to Carney's federal budget in speech
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre needled Prime Minister Mark Carney over the size of the federal deficit Friday in a speech offering his critique of the Liberal budget tabled on Nov. 4.

Poilievre lays out market-first opposition to Carney's federal budget in speech

Liberal government survives second confidence vote amid Conservative caucus turmoil

Liberal government survives second confidence vote amid Conservative caucus turmoil
The Conservatives helped the minority Liberal government survive a second confidence vote on the budget this afternoon.

Liberal government survives second confidence vote amid Conservative caucus turmoil