OTTAWA—The federal government is weighing how to help Canadians stuck in China amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak, as other countries prepare to repatriate their citizens and the Conservative Opposition in Parliament questions Ottawa’s response.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Monday that the government has “measures in place that can support Canadians” who want to leave China, and that “we’re continuing to work out those details.”

Earlier in the day, Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said “anything is possible” when it comes to supporting Canadians amidst travel restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

As of Monday evening, 168 Canadians in the affected region had registered with Global Affairs Canada. Champagne said eight of them have asked for specific help from the federal government.

He did not rule out the possibility of an evacuation, and said Canada is consulting international partners about their options.

The Japanese government said Monday that flights are ready to remove more than 500 of its citizens from the region “as soon as possible,” while The Associated Press reported the United States and France are preparing to repatriate affected citizens later this week.

“I can assure you we will provide all the consular assistance that Canadians may need during the crisis in China,” Champagne told reporters Monday morning.

Later, in the House of Commons, Conservative MPs questioned the government’s response. Matt Jeneroux said there is “justifiable reason to be concerned” about the measures Canada is taking to prevent the spread of the virus in this country, while Todd Doherty urged the government to develop “a real plan that includes an enhanced screening process,” and deputy leader Leona Alleslev asked what Ottawa is doing to bring home Canadians who are quarantined in China.

In an interview with the Star, Jeneroux said the Conservatives are simply pressing for more transparency. That includes the approval of a Conservative motion in the House on Monday to convene the Commons health committee to study the government’s response to the outbreak, he said.

Jeneroux said he won’t decide whether to push for Canadians to be evacuated from China until the Conservatives are briefed by health officials about the government’s response.

“I certainly don’t want to ignite a partisan fire on this. I think most Canadians are generally concerned,” said Jeneroux, the Conservatives’ newly named health critic.

“We want to be here to help the government, but also at the end of the day there is a lot of unanswered questions ... The government is just saying, ‘trust us.’”

Richard Fabic and Yunfei Li are among the Canadians with relatives who have been unable to leave Wuhan, the city where the outbreak started. They told the Star Monday that their 15-month-old daughter Chloe is there with her grandparents and they have contacted Canadian consular officials for help. Li, who is in Victoria, said she has been calling twice a day since providing officials with information on Saturday but has received no updates. She said she was also told that Canada’s embassy in Beijing and consulate in Shanghai are closed until Feb. 2 for the Lunar New Year holiday.

“We’re being told that because they’re on vacation ... there would be no assistance,” Li said. “The bottom line is, when is the government of Canada going to do something?”

Tom Williams is a British citizen who has been living and working in Wuhan for five years. He is quarantined in the city with his wife, Lauren, who is from Langley, B.C., and his two-and-a-half-year-old son, James. Lauren is about 35 weeks pregnant.

“We’re due to give birth in Wuhan. That’s becoming a little bit more risky as time goes on,” Williams said. “It’s a changing picture. It’s changing every day, new stuff and new guidelines going on.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Williams said he contacted the emergency hotline for the Canadian embassy over the weekend. Staff there put him through to Ottawa, and he said he was told that he and his family should stay put.

In a conference call with reporters Monday, Canada’s chief public health officer said the situation in China is “a serious public health threat that we must be very vigilant and prepared for.”

Dr. Theresa Tam would not comment on the necessity of an evacuation, but said health officials would be able to properly handle an incoming flight of citizens from the affected region.

Ontario's top medical officer says the first presumptive case of the novel coronavirus reported over the weekend has now been confirmed. Dr. David Williams says a man in his 50s who recently returned from China has been officially diagnosed after a test at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg. Officials say the man's wife has also tested positive for the virus and is considered the country's second presumptive case. (The Canadian Press)

Canada has added signs at airports that receive flights from China, and added screening questions for arriving passengers to flag potential cases to border agents. Tam said Monday that more public health officials are being dispatched to airports in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal to help screen passengers who travelled to the affected region of China.

“The important thing is to rapidly assure that a further spread doesn’t happen in Canada,” said Tam. “As long as it doesn’t spread in Canada, our current assessment is that the risk is low to the general public.”

With files from Margaryta Ignatenko, Osobe Waberi, and the Associated Press

Ilya Bañares is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @ilyaoverseas

Read more about: