Ottawa — The Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages, the Honourable Josée Verner, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Peter MacKay, today announced that the Government of Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will provide up to $1 million to respond to the current crisis in Lebanon.

"We are concerned about the Lebanese people who require immediate humanitarian aid as a result of the current conflict," Minister Verner said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to respond should further assistance be needed."

"The current situation in Lebanon is of great concern to the Government of Canada and has far reaching impacts on the civilian population," said Minister MacKay. "This funding will help relieve the people most affected by the ongoing crisis."

CIDA will immediately allocate $500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in response to its preliminary appeal. This funding will help to ease the plight of families in Lebanon who have been displaced by the fighting or trapped in villages isolated by destroyed road networks. The remaining $500,000 will be allocated in the coming days.