(No. 286 - October 5, 2011 - 3:40 p.m. ET) The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), today released Consular Activity in 2010: Incident Report for Canadians Abroad. The Minister of State expressed pride in the consular services widely used by Canadians around the world.
“Last year alone, Canadians made more than 56 million trips to all corners of the world,” explained Minister of State Ablonzcy. “With more than 260 offices in over 150 countries, our government was there to assist Canadians abroad.”
The consular activity report details how Canadians accessed services when travelling, working, studying or living abroad last year.
“2010 was an exceptional year for natural disasters and other distressing events,” stated Minister of State Ablonczy. “This report shows that Canadians have a solid consular network to help them through almost any situation while travelling—for example, coping in an earthquake, learning about the risks of travel to certain areas and replacing lost or stolen passports.”
Canadian consular staff managed close to 215,000 new cases in 2010. Although most of these were routine, such as issuing replacement passports, 10,400 Canadians received emergency assistance in 37 separate crises.
The report also shows that Canadians benefited from a wide variety of information distributed free of charge, including travel reports and warnings and consular publications.
To view the full report, visit Consular Activity in 2010.
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
John Babcock
Senior Communications Adviser
Office of the Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs)
613-944-2300
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
Follow us on Twitter: @DFAIT_MAECI
