Canada summons Egyptian envoy over deadly attacks

The Canadian government has summoned Egypt's charg d'affaires to Canada to reiterate its deep concern over the violence in Egypt, while authorities theregave police the green light to use deadly force to protect themselves and key state institutions from attacks.

Canadacalled in Egypt's envoyMohamed Naguib Hussein Fakhry on Thursdayto urgeEgypt's military-backed government and the Muslim Brotherhood to "immediately sit down together, reconcile their differences and work tirelessly to halt this deadly standoff," CBC News has learned.

Officials at Foreign Affairs told Fakhry that Canada believesthat "implementing a transparent democratic system that respects the voices of all Egyptians, including members of civil society and religious minorities, is the best way to restore calm and give all Egyptians a stake in the future stability and prosperity of their country."

Concerns over Christian minority

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Canadas ambassador for religious freedom, Andrew Bennett, issued a joint statement on Thursday to condemn the violence against Christians in Egypt.

"We urge all parties to engage in a productive dialogue to ease tensions. We also call on all Egyptians to show maximum restraint and resolve in the coming days," read the statement.

The Canadian government called theattacks on places of worship "unacceptable,"following a day of deadly clashesbetween Egyptian police and supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi.

"We are concerned by recent attacks on religious institutions in Egypt, in particular the unconscionable attacks on Coptic Orthodox and Anglican churches and on Baptist and Franciscan institutions," the statement said.

Canada closed its embassy in Cairo on Wednesday for security reasons, confirmed a spokesperson for Baird in an email to CBC News on Thursday.

The government web page for Canadians travelling or living abroad has been updated to reflect the closure: "For security reasons, the Embassy of Canada in Cairo will be closed until further notice."

The Canadian government extended its deepest sympathies to the victims of these attacks and calledon authorities in Egypt to protect worshippers and religious sites from further violence and intimidation.

Obama condemns steps byEgyptian military

U.S. President Barack Obamainterrupted his weeklong vacation on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts on Thursday to address therapidly deteriorating situation in Egypt.

"The U.S. strongly condemns the steps taken by Egypts military," Obama said.

The U.S. presidentwarned the country to lift a state of emergency and work toward peace, or further action could be taken. He alsocancelled next month's U.S.-Egypt military exercises.

U.S. officialsare not calling Morsi's ouster a coup because that would require the U.S. to cut off $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt.

Unlike the U.S., Canada does not provide international assistance through the government of Egypt.

"We continue to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance and development programming through Canadian, international, multilateral, and local non-governmental organizations,"Margaux Stastny, from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada told CBC News in an email on Thursday.