OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been working the phones with other world leaders in preparation for a key international meeting on the world financial crisis.
Leaders of the G20, the world's major economies, are to meet in Washington this weekend.
Harper this week has spoken to Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago, Peruvian President Alan Garcia, Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and John Key, New Zealand's prime minister-elect.
He congratulated Key on his election on Saturday.
Harper's office says he discussed a number of economic issues with the leaders, including better financial regulation at the national level and a stronger international economic framework.
The calls are the latest in a series of chats Harper has held with his international counterparts over the last three weeks.
Earlier he spoke to U.S. President George W. Bush and president-elect Barack Obama as well as the leaders of Britain, Australia, Italy, Germany, India and Mexico.
Bush called the weekend summit meeting to discuss ways of shoring up the world banking system and averting future financial crises.
While the European Union is looking for a major remake of the world's financial system, the United States is promoting more modest goals.
There is broad support for greater transparency in global finance and risk management, better co-ordination among national regulators, and more harmonized accounting and capitalization rules.
