Canadians urged to leave Syria

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced on Thursday voluntary evacuation of Canadian in Syria. 

The department has been urging Canadians to leave since October.

An uprising began against President Bashar Assad this spring. More than five thousand Canadians have been experiencing violence in the country since then.

The United Nations’ Security Council held an emergency meeting this month to consider a draft resolution on Syria.

At least twenty-seven people were killed Thursday by the Syrian army defectors as violence escalates. More than five thousand people have been killed since the uprising began nine months ago.

Baird says the Foreign Affaires department can’t guarantee any help to those who find themselves in trouble if they stay in Syria.

There will be negotiations for a draft resolution in the coming days.

Voting will take place next week.