Amid increasing violence in Syria, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is urging any Canadians in the Middle Eastern country to leave as soon as they can.
On Wednesday, Baird said Canada condemns the violence taking place in Syria and Ottawa will continue to "urge the isolation" of the regime led by Bashar Assad.
For months, the Syrian leader has used military force to crack down on an uprising against his rule. The UN believes thousands of people have been killed since March.
As a result of the bloody tactics being used in Syria, Canada is demanding that Assad and his supporters step down.
But Ottawa is also wary of the dangers that Canadians face as Assad's grip on power continues to deteriorate.
To that end, Baird said "Canadians in Syria should leave now by commercial means while these are still available."
The Foreign Affairs website currently advises Canadians "against all travel to Syria due to the unpredictable security situation."
It also says that Ottawa may have its hands tied if citizens require assistance in the near future because of "restrictions imposed by the Syrian Government."
Syria is also under pressure from neighbours in the Middle East and European nations that are pushing the United Nations to condemn the human rights violations taking place under Assad's watch.
The country has been suspended from membership in the Arab League after Syria did not comply with a peace plan it signed off on earlier this month.
The Arab League has given Damascus three days to fall in line with the peace plan, and the organization wants Syria to allow foreign monitors into the country.
It has threatened to introduce sanctions against Syria if it does not comply.
CTV's Middle East Bureau Chief Martin Seemungal says it is unclear how Syria will proceed, but its leadership hasn't been very co-operative so far.
"As we know on November 2, they signed the agreement saying that they were going to withdraw troops, they were going to stop shooting at people, they were going to open dialogue with the opposition," Seemungal told CTV's Canada AM from Jerusalem on Thursday.
Seemungal said the Arab League was compelled to take action after Syria failed to act on its promises.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
