title: Legal drinking age
text: Country / region De jure Notes Drinking age Purchase age Anguilla 16 Antigua and Barbuda 16 The sale and distribution of alcohol to a person under 16 years of age is illegal . Argentina 18 Bahamas 18 Barbados 18 Those aged 10 -- 17 are allowed to consume alcohol provided they are with a parent or guardian . Belize 18 Drinking age is rarely enforced . IDs are almost never requested . Bermuda 18 Bolivia 18 Brazil 18 British Virgin Islands 16 It is illegal to sell or to supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 16 . Canada 18 In Alberta , Manitoba and Quebec , the legal drinking age is 18 . 19 In Ontario , Saskatchewan , British Columbia , Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , Northwest Territories , Yukon , and Nunavut , the legal drinking age is 19 . Cayman Islands 18 Chile 18 The minimum age is 18 to enter an enclosure that sells alcoholic beverages . Selling alcohol to a minor may incur a fine . One must provide identification upon request . Residents of Chile over the age of 18 must carry their Chilean identification card issued by the Civil Registry and Identification Service at all times . Colombia 18 Costa Rica 18 Cuba 16 Dominican Republic 18 Ecuador 18 El Salvador 18 Falkland Islands 18 Grenada 16 Guatemala 18 Guyana 18 Except 16 for wine or malt liquor to be consumed with a meal Haiti None Honduras 18 Jamaica None 18 Minors can drink if accompanied by parent or legal guardian as well as someone with permission from their parent or legal guardian . Mexico 18 A person must be eighteen years or over to legally purchase and consume alcoholic beverages in Mexico . The drinking age however is n't strictly enforced , and IDs are barely requested . Nicaragua 18 Panama 18 Paraguay 20 According to Art . 1 ° of the law to `` ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors '' , it is illegal to serve or sell alcohol or to allow the consumption by minors under 20 years of age . Furthermore , under Art 2 ° all public establishments selling alcohol must display a clearly legible notice in the sales area with the following text : `` ESTA PROHIBIDA LA VENTA DE BEBIDAS ALCOHÓLICAS A MENORES DE VEINTE AÑOS DE EDAD '' ( It is illegal ( prohibited ) to sell alcoholic beverages to minors under 20 years of age ) Peru 18 Puerto Rico 18 The minimum age for the selling of any alcohol beverage is 18 . Although a valid Puerto Rico license ID or passport is required as proof of age to buyers who look under the age of 18 , it is generally not a common practice to ask for ID to enter a venue that sells alcohol or to sell you alcohol at other establishments . This law can be more enforced in some tourist areas and on foreigners visiting the island by some more exclusive hotels , bars , and upscale clubs . A few of the more exclusive venues in the tourist areas may have their own entrance rules regarding age including not allowing anyone under the age of 25 or 23 to enter and consume alcohol or change this depending on specific nights / events and restricted by gender / sex ( i.e. women over 18 allowed to enter but only men over 21 on that same night ) . Trinidad and Tobago 18 Turks and Caicos Islands 18 United States ( 50 states and integral territories ) Varies by jurisdiction 21 The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 withholds revenue from states that allow the purchase of alcohol by anyone under the age of twenty - one . Prior to the effective date of that Act , the drinking age varied from state to state . Some states do not allow those under the legal drinking age to be present in liquor stores or in bars ( usually , the difference between a bar and a restaurant is that food is served only in the latter ) . Contrary to popular belief , since the act went into law , only a few states prohibit minors and young adults from consuming alcohol in private settings . As of January 1 , 2010 , fifteen states and the District of Columbia ban underage consumption outright , seventeen states do not ban underage consumption , and the remaining eighteen states have family member or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws . Federal law explicitly provides for religious exceptions . As of 2005 , thirty - one states have family member or location exceptions to their underage possession laws . However , non-alcoholic beer in many ( but not all ) states , such as Idaho , Texas , and Maryland , is considered legal for those under the age of twenty - one . By a judge 's ruling , South Carolina appears to allow the possession and consumption of alcohol by adults eighteen to twenty years of age , but a circuit court judge has said otherwise . The states of Washington and Wisconsin allows the consumption of alcohol in the presence of parents . Some U.S. states have legislation that make providing to and possession of alcohol by persons under twenty - one a gross misdemeanor with a potential penalty of a $5,000 fine or up to year in jail . See also : Minor in Possession and List of alcohol laws of the United States United States Virgin Islands 18 Uruguay 18 Venezuela 18

Question: can a 19 year old buy alcohol in canada

answer: Yes, a 19-year-old can buy alcohol in Canada.
answer: Yes, since it is illegal to sell or to supply alcohol to anyone under the age of 19 in most parts of Canada.