Mr. Speaker, as in any war situation, getting people out to safety is extremely difficult, as was mentioned by a number of members already this evening. Also, the decision to leave is hard. I grew up in war. I know how hard it is to leave family and loved ones and the place I cherished behind.
That being said, the government has been very clear for months that there was a fear of escalation in the region and for people from Canada who wanted to visit family back home to take pause on that choice, and if they made that choice, that they make plans to be able to leave. This conversation with Lebanese Canadians has been going on for months.
Nevertheless, we understand the responsibility to get civilians out who are Canadian. We are doing what we can, but at this point my understanding is there are still options to get out and we are assisting as much as we can. Can we do more? We can always do more. In a conflict zone, it is challenging.