Joly says roughly 1,800 Canadian citizens or permanent residents have now registered their presence in Sudan and 700 of those have asked to be helped out of the country.
On Tuesday Joly told Parliament 1,700 people had registered and 550 had asked for help.
She says Canada is also considering a request from Sudanese diaspora groups for relatives to be able to come to Canada on a temporary basis until the violence abates.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Wednesday the government called in some workers who were on strike with the Public Service Alliance of Canada, declaring them essential workers in order to help process immigration paperwork for people in Sudan.
“In times of crisis, Canada’s always there to help, and that’s why we'll be there,” Joly told reporters on Parliament Hill.
She noted that Canada is including dual nationals and permanent residents of Canada, as well as foreigners who are their spouses and dependants such as children and grandchildren.
“We see what’s going on and are trying to adopt policies that reflect the gravity of the situation on the ground,” he told reporters.
“We’ve actually had some staff return from the public service strike who are deemed essential to help those whose lives may be at risk, which is essential.”
Defence Minister Anita Anand would not say whether Canada will send special-forces soldiers into Sudan, as other countries have done.
She also did not say when Canada would start flying out people on its own planes.
“We have personnel and capabilities in the region, including two ships in the waters just off the coast,” Anand said, referring to the Red Sea.
