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Ottawa, March 5,  2001
2001-023

Minister of Finance Announces Venue for Western Hemisphere Finance Ministers Meeting

Related document:

• Notice to Media: The Government of Canada will be Hosting the Fourth Western Hemisphere Finance Ministers Meeting in Toronto.

Finance Minister Paul Martin today announced that the fourth Western Hemisphere Finance Ministers (WHFM) Meeting will be held in Toronto, Ontario, on April 3-4, 2001, at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Ministers will discuss economic conditions and prospects in the hemisphere, as well as the progress being made on strengthening financial systems and supporting regional integration initiatives.

"The Toronto meeting will continue the dialogue towards improving the economic environment for sustainable growth and integration," said Minister Martin.

The WHFM was launched following the 1994 leaders’ Summit of the Americas. The first ministerial meeting took place in 1996. Initially, meetings focused on promoting the development, liberalization and integration of financial markets in the region. The agenda has been broadened in recent years to include issues such as achieving stable and sustainable growth through the creation of a positive investment climate.

The 34 WHFM member countries from North, South and Central America and the Caribbean include: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela. Officials from the Organization of American States, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank will also participate.

A separate media advisory providing further details about media facilities and accreditation is available on the Department of Finance Web site at www.fin.gc.ca/whfm.html.

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