Over 26,000 Canadians are in Mexico and travellers are being urged to register with the feds

As parts of Mexico continue urging tourists and locals to shelter in place, there are more than 26,000 Canadians in the country who have registered with Ottawa.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Some Canadians in Mexico have been ordered to shelter in place after an outbreak of violence

Global Affairs Canada has resolved some technical issues that initially prevented Canadians from signing up for safety advice, and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is urging all Canadians in Mexico to register to receive the latest information available.

“We have multiple consular officials at the major centres. They are all standing by ready to assist Canadians,” Anand told reporters Monday.

“I ask that all Canadians follow local guidelines, including sheltering in place, if that is what local guidelines are dictating.”

Anand said the government is monitoring what she called a serious and rapidly evolving situation in Mexico, as violence broke out in multiple regions on Sunday after a major drug cartel leader was reportedly killed in a government operation.

She said all Canadians in Mexico should register with Global Affairs Canada to ensure they can receive assistance and updated information from the federal government — particularly due to misinformation circling on social media.

Anand said that as of 7 a.m. ET Monday, 26,305 Canadians had registered with Global Affairs Canada as being in Mexico, an increase of nearly 8,000 people over 24 hours.

She says two Canadians have asked for help regarding “injuries that are non-life-threatening,” but did not specify if they have injuries related to the violence.

Another Canadian is seeking financial assistance, she said. In consular cases this often means a loan for those who can’t access their funds or have unforeseen expenses.

A handful of people posted on social media on Sunday that they were Canadians in Mexico who could not manage to register with Global Affairs Canada. Anand admitted there were problems with the system but insisted they have been resolved.

“I want to vociferously underline that our system is working well, and where there are kinks, we are addressing them, and it is functioning well at this time,” she said.

Anand and her department had urged Canadians on Sunday to follow local advice but did not explicitly ask citizens in Mexico to register, unlike multiple MPs who said they were getting questions from constituents in areas under emergency orders.

Officials briefed MPs about the situation Monday, said Anand, who added she also emailed MPs late Sunday about the situation.

Anand said Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente indicated to her that he “expects the situation to normalize in the coming days,” she said.

“This is an operation that the Mexican government decided to undertake regarding the domestic affairs of Mexico. Our concern is the safety and security of Canadians,” she said.

Canada is not currently looking at arranging evacuation flights and has not been asked by Mexico to provide help such as military support, she said.

Anand says Mexican authorities did not inform her of its security operation ahead of time.

“I was not provided with any indication that this particular operation would be taking place, and on my understanding, I believe that the Government of Canada was not provided with (an) indication that it was going to occur,” she said.

“It is always helpful for us to know more in order to support Canadians.”

In Toronto, Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Canadians to consider vacationing in Canada and not Mexico.

“I highly recommend, don’t go to Mexico. I highly recommended that before this happened. Just focus on getting home,” he told reporters at Queen’s Park.

“That’s pretty unstable, when you’re taking out drug cartels and all of a sudden they’re going hitting back against tourists and everyone else. In my opinion, it’s not a stable country right now. Don’t go there and maybe pick an island somewhere, or here in Canada.”

Ford caused blowback in Mexico in late 2024 when he said that U.S. President Donald Trump comparing drug trafficking issues in that country to Canada was “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.”

Anand also said Monday that Ottawa will be sending some sort of aid to Cuba, where a humanitarian crisis is emerging due to a U.S. blockade of oil reaching the island nation from multiple countries.

“We are preparing a plan to assist. We are not prepared at this point to provide any further details of an announcement,” Anand said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.