OTTAWA - Ottawa has declared all remaining Libyan diplomats persona non grata and ordered them out of the country "immediately."
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced the decision in a statement late Monday.
"These people now have five business days to vacate the embassy and leave the country," said Baird, calling it the latest step in Canada's efforts to isolate and delegitimize the regime of Moammar Gadhafi.
The government is also cutting off the diplomats' access to the embassy's bank accounts, Baird said.
Canada is part of the NATO mission enforcing a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone over Libya that aims to protect the North African country's citizens from attacks by Gadhafi's forces.
Baird visited the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi in June to meet with members of the National Transitional Council, a collection of mainly lawyers and academics.
Canada and other western countries, including Britain and the United States, recognize the NTC as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people.
