OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is off to South America today for a major foreign tour that will see him attend two international summits over a stretch of 10 days.

The trip is seen as an opportunity for Trudeau to turn the page on his widely criticized recent trips to China and India -- and to land some new trade partners for Canada.

His first stop will be Lima, Peru, where leaders from more than 30 Western Hemisphere countries will gather for the 8th Summit of the Americas.

There had been speculation that Canada, the U.S. and Mexico would announce some form of an agreement in principle on a new North American Free Trade Agreement during the summit.

But while high-level talks are still expected to take place, U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to skip the gathering has dampened talk of ceremonial surprises.

Instead, the meeting is likely to be dominated by the political crisis in Venezuela.