As the international community rallies to deal with the immediate challenges facing people in Haiti, Canada will host a major meeting aimed at solving some of the broader, long-term problems facing the nation following last week’s earthquake.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon will host a conference in Montreal next Monday aimed at setting down the framework for a long-term development and recontruction plan for Haiti.

Cannon spoke with Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and foreign ministers from  Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina and Costa Rica about the prospect of the Montreal meeting during a weekend teleconference.

The foreign ministers are members of the Group of Friends of Haiti, founded in the 1990s. Canada has played a leading role in efforts to stabilize the struggling nation.

Clinton and Kouchner are expected to attend, although the guest list of international politicians hasn't yet been confirmed.