Summit of the Americas, 2001

In spring 2001, the 34 democratically elected heads of government from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean gathered in historic Québec City for the Summit of the Americas, 2001 -- the third Summit of the Americas.

The Summit marked the culmination of a period in which Canada strongly reaffirmed its identity as a nation of the Americas and as a busy crossroad for our hemispheric friends and neighbours. In the two years leading up to the 2001 Summit, Canada hosted a number of major Hemispheric events, including chairing negotiations on the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), playing host to the Pan American Games in the summer of 1999, welcoming the meeting of the Spouses of the Heads of State and Government of the Americas in September 1999. In June 2000 Canada hosted the General Assembly of the Organization of American States in Windsor.

At the 2001 Summit, leaders addressed common hemispheric challenges, including economic integration, improved access to education, poverty alleviation, enhanced respect for human rights and democratic development. Canada was chosen to host the Summit at the 1998 Summit of the Americas in Santiago, Chile.