It is July 2006. Beirut International Airport, the only functional one in all of Lebanon, has just been bombed by the Israeli army in retaliation for a raid by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
In the port, there is panic and confusion. More than 1,800 Canadians are jostling to leave Lebanon. They have waited for hours under a scorching sun. But the boats chartered by Canada are not there.
In fact, Ottawa has no plan. It is as if it had only just realized that 50,000 Canadians were in Lebanon. Despite the disorganization, Canada will manage to evacuate 14,370 nationals, in a repatriation operation of unusual magnitude.
PHOTO LYNSEY ADDARIO, THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES
Ruined buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, hit by Israeli strikes, during the Israeli-Lebanese conflict, August 13, 2006
Eighteen years later, the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of this nearly $100 million boondoggle.
But we must be realistic: the risks of an escalation of the war in the Middle East have rarely been as high as this week.
Let us recall that a shot from Lebanon killed 12 children on a soccer field in the Golan Heights occupied by Israel last Saturday. After the shock, the response was not long in coming. Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander by bombing the suburbs of Beirut. It is also blamed for the death of the political leader of Hamas, killed in the heart of Tehran, in Iran.
From response to counter-response, the violence only spreads to neighboring countries, raising fears of a major war in the region.
Canada must aim for peace, but it must also plan for war. In this regard, its responsibility is to ensure the safety of Canadians in dangerous areas.
Global Affairs Canada estimates that between 40,000 and 75,000 Canadians live in Lebanon, although only 21,000 are officially registered.
For them, the message is urgent: return to Canada immediately, by your own means. Don’t wait until there are no more commercial flights.
For those living in Lebanon long-term, with dual citizenship, it can be heartbreaking to leave behind an elderly or sick loved one. It can be financially difficult to return to Canada, where one has no job or a roof over one’s head.
But when the threat is clear, Canadian citizenship should not be seen as an insurance policy to flee at the last second.
Of course, Ottawa has a duty to help Canadians abroad.
Last June, former Canadian Army General Wayne Eyre said he had a plan to evacuate 20,000 Canadians from Lebanon, with military teams in Beirut and Cyprus.1.
That said, the nationals will not be returned to Canada free of charge. Since 2006, Ottawa has been evacuating its nationals to a place of safety, but then letting them return to Canada on their own.
But there are never any guarantees. “If tensions escalate, the situation on the ground may not allow us to help you and you will not be able to leave,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly warned this week.
Things can go south very quickly. In 2006, everything changed in 48 hours. The situation was particularly chaotic because many nationals had not registered with the Canadian mission and no longer had valid Canadian passports, as a Senate report revealed.2.
The report also demonstrates Canada’s lack of preparedness. It had neither the diplomatic personnel nor the military fleet needed for this major repatriation. As countries jostled for commercial vessels, the lack of coordination meant that some ships left half-empty.
Ottawa must learn the lessons of 2006 and work better with its partner countries.
But Canadians in Lebanon also have a responsibility to listen to Ottawa’s repeated warnings…and act accordingly.
1. Read the CBC article (in English)
2. Consult the Senate report on the evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon