Most of the Canadians who have been waiting at Tripoli's airport have either been evacuated or are on the verge of leaving, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.
Places have been found for about 200 Canadians on boats and planes chartered by allies like Britain, Spain, and the United States, including most of the approximately 100 Canadians who had headed to the airport for a Canadian-chartered evacuation flight that was cancelled when the carrier's insurer wouldn't cover the risk.
But Canada is still preparing to send more planes -- including a massive Canadian Forces C-17 heavy-lift cargo plane that can carry 156 passengers, and a chartered plane from Amman, Jordan, which is expected to arrive in the wee hours of Friday morning, Mr. Cannon said in a statement.
The military C-17 was in Germany but has been diverted to Rome, where it will wait for Libyan authorities to grant clearance for it to land in Tripoli. And the Canadian Forces Airbus which was carrying Governor-General David Johnson to Kuwait -- now stopped in Rome -- is on standby.
"My officials tell me that nearly 200 Canadians have, or are about to be safely evacuated," Mr. Cannon said in the statement. "I am told that this would include all or virtually all Canadians who have been waiting at the airport in Tripoli today."
Should the Governor-General's plane be commandeered, it would be a near-repeat of the evacuation of Canadians from Lebanon in 2006, when a travelling Prime Minister Stephen Harper diverted his jet to help citizens escape the country.
As of Thursday night, 213 Canadians had indicated their interest in taking the flight out, the Foreign Affairs Department said; 353 Canadians were registered with the embassy in Tripoli.
Meanwhile, 26 Canadians are still stuck on an American ship that had been scheduled to leave Tripoli on Wednesday. High waves and poor weather conditions have since made it impossible for that vessel to sail for Malta.
Mr. Cannon, who was expected to meet evacuees on the now-cancelled flight when they landed in Rome, is being updated on the evacuation almost minute-by-minute, and the Prime Minister is also being regularly briefed, a senior government official said.
Campbell Clark