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<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">January 7, 2005 <i>(4:50 p.m. EST)</i><br>
No. 1</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">MINISTER PETTIGREW’S RESPONSE TO<i> TORONTO STAR </i>EDITORIAL
ON MISSING CANADIANS IN ASIA</span></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Minister of Foreign Affairs Pierre Pettigrew wrote to the Editor of <i>The Toronto Star</i> today
in response to the editorial entitled “Ottawa should list missing in Asia.” The text of the
Minister’s letter is below.</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>I am writing in response to the editorial published in yesterday’s edition of your
newspaper, “Ottawa should list missing in Asia.” The editorial is misleading as it does
not provide an accurate representation of the work of officials of Foreign Affairs Canada
at home and abroad in providing information, service and support to the thousands of
Canadians and their families directly affected by the tsunami.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>From the very first day of the crisis, officers at the Foreign Affairs Operations Centre
have handled over 50,000 calls from family and friends of Canadians believed to have
been travelling in Asia on December 26. Over 3,000 individual files were opened on a
complex computer database, incorporating information from sources ranging from
family and friends to airlines, tour operators, hotels and the Government of Thailand. As
more information on each of these cases was integrated and assessed, and as the
holiday period came to an end, many of these files were closed.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>As of January 5, there were 146 Canadians we considered to be “missing,” and whose
details were provided to the RCMP and Interpol for their follow-up as part of the
international effort to determine the fate of thousands of individuals not accounted for
since December 26. This number could go up in the coming days and weeks. It may
also come down. The key point, however, is that this list of “missing” individuals is NOT
the list published by your newspaper earlier this week.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>Throughout this difficult and traumatic ordeal, officials of Foreign Affairs, both those at
Headquarters in Ottawa and overseas in the affected countries, have exercised
compassion and discretion. They have been in repeated contact with the next of kin
and families of those affected, and have been scrupulous in the guardianship of the
information placed in their trust.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>It is for this reason that the Prime Minister has directed that no list of the names of
those missing be made public. I myself, as well as officials, have heard from Canadians
deeply distressed by the publication of information on those close to them. The
Government will provide regular updated information of the numbers of missing
Canadians for as long as the situation remains unresolved.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><i>Many of those most affected are still praying and hoping. We will, at all times, respect
their personal wishes to do so in private and outside the glare of media publicity.</i></span></span></p>
<br>
<p style="text-align: center"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">- 30 -</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">For further information, media representatives may contact:</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Sébastien Théberge<br>
Director of Communications<br>
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs<br>
(613) 995-1851</span></span></p>
<br>
<p><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt">Media Relations Office<br>
Foreign Affairs Canada<br>
(613) 995-1874<br>
</span></span><a href="https://bac-lac.wayback.archive-it.org/web/20070221035724/http://www.international.gc.ca/"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #0000ff"><span style="text-decoration: underline">http://www.international.gc.ca</span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 12pt"><span style="color: #000000"></span></span></span></p>
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