January 28, 2019 – Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada will host the 10th ministerial meeting of the Lima Group in Ottawa, Ontario on February 4, 2019.
Since August 2017, Canada has been working closely with the Lima Group, comprised of over a dozen countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, to address the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. In that time, there have been nine official meetings of the Lima Group, including a ministerial meeting hosted by Canada in Toronto in October of 2017.
The upcoming meeting will bring together the foreign ministers of the Lima Group countries as well as participants from the broader international community. They will meet to discuss support for Juan Guaidó, Venezuela's interim president, and to explore ways in which the international community can further support the people of Venezuela.
"This crisis poses huge security, humanitarian, and economic challenges for the entire hemisphere. That is why I am today announcing that Canada will host an urgent meeting of the Lima Group of countries, in Ottawa on February 4th, to discuss what steps we can take to support interim president Juan Guaidó and the people of Venezuela."
– Hon. Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs
Quick facts
Over 3 million Venezuelan have been forced to flee their homes since 2015 in search of food, health care and other basic services.
On January 23, 2019, Canada and the Lima Group recognized Juan Guaidó, President of the National Assembly, as interim president of Venezuela.
The Lima Group was established on August 8, 2017, to coordinate the countries' efforts and bring international pressure on the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Canada hosted the third Lima Group ministerial meeting in Toronto, Ontario, on October 26, 2017.
