Minister of State Ablonczy Offers Safety Tips for Canadians Travelling Abroad This Summer

July 30, 2012 - The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), will be in Montréal, Toronto and London this week reaching out to Canadians to raise awareness of the various services the government provides to Canadians travelling abroad. Millions of Canadians visit countries around the globe each year, and sometimes problems or emergency situations can arise.

"As with anything, preparation is the key to successful travel," said Minister of State Ablonczy. "Your first stop when planning a trip should be www.travel.gc.ca to register with us and check out the travel reports and any possible warnings for your destination."

During the tour, Minister of State Ablonczy will meet with representatives from various parts of the travel industry, including vacation planners, airlines and travel health insurance providers. The discussions will focus on finding effective ways to promote and disseminate safe-travel information to Canadians before they go abroad.

Minister of State Ablonczy will also use the tour to highlight Canada's important partnerships with the countries of the Americas. She will meet with key stakeholders to discuss Canada's renewed engagement in the region and highlight progress the government has made in strengthening trade relations and people-to-people ties.

"The underlying strength of Canada's relationship with our hemispheric partners is people," said the Minister of State. "I gain much insight into the complexities, challenges and opportunities we share through face-to-face interactions such as these."

This year's summer tour, which has also taken Minister of State Ablonczy to the West coast, builds upon last year's, the first-ever cross-Canada ministerial outreach tour on consular matters and the Americas.