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Thursday, November 10, 2005
REVISED
2005 Economic and Fiscal Update—Technical Background Briefing
Please note time correction under Technical Background Briefing heading in French version, and time change under Embargo Procedures heading.
Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance on Monday, November 14 at 3:30 p.m. to present the Government of Canada’s annual Economic and Fiscal Update. The presentation will take place in the Railway Committee Room, 253-D, Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa.
After the presentation Minister Goodale will take questions from committee members.
Following his appearance the Minister will be available to the media outside the committee room.
The Department of Finance website, www.fin.gc.ca, will provide a link to the House of Commons feed.
Technical Background Briefing
While there will be no formal presentation, Department of Finance officials will be available to provide technical background information on the Update, in advance of the Minister’s presentation, on an embargoed basis.
The briefing will be held at the Ottawa Congress Centre, on Colonel By Drive in Ottawa, from 12:30 p.m. until the Minister presents the Update at approximately 3:30 p.m. Once the briefing has commenced, no one will be allowed to leave the room or contact their offices until the embargo is lifted.
The briefing is for background information only, not for attribution.
Journalists will be required to sign an undertaking to respect the release arrangements and not to remove, release or communicate documents, materials or information, or other records of any nature whatsoever, to anyone in any manner (including the use of wireless communication devices such as wireless microphones) until they are released from embargo.
Entry is restricted to journalists accredited through the Parliamentary Press Gallery. For more information on accreditation, contact Terry Guillon, Chief of the Press Gallery, at (613) 992-4511.
Embargo Procedures
Update documents will be made available at 12:30 p.m., following a security sweep of the Congress Centre to begin at 11:30 a.m. Everyone will be required to leave the hall for the duration of the security sweep.
All documents will be under embargo until released by the designated Department of Finance official.
Wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way radios and/or any other communication devices will not be allowed in the briefing room.
The undertaking stipulates that they must be turned in at the entrance to the briefing . Department of Finance officials will hold them until the embargo is lifted.
The Department of Finance, with the agreement of the Press Gallery Executive, reserves the right to refuse access to any future Finance embargoed releases to anyone and/or their organization breaching the terms of the undertaking.
Laptop, notebook and other portable computers with integrated (non-removable) wireless modems or any other kind of wireless transmission capabilities should have their transmitting capabilities disabled. Technical assistance will be provided on-site.
Space Allocation and Equipment Set-Up
Space at the Congress Centre will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Set-up of equipment and lines will start at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 14.
All equipment installations and testing must be completed by 12 p.m., at which time the briefing area will be cleared for a security sweep.
Organizations wishing to make arrangements for telephone and data lines as well as other technical applications should contact Bell Canada at 1 800 414-8424.
Buses to Parliament Hill
Prior to the Minister’s presentation, special security buses will be available to transport, to the West Door of the Centre Block, only those journalists who must be at their working positions on Parliament Hill when the speech begins. Authorizations to board these special buses will be issued and regulated by the Press Gallery. Passengers will also be required to sign a second undertaking. Journalists will be authorized to leave the bus when signalled by the designated Department of Finance official, but the embargo will remain in force until it is lifted for all journalists. This means that no information may be communicated by any means whatsoever until the embargo is lifted.
Refreshments Only
There will be no food available for purchase inside the briefing area, but refreshments will be available. Members of the media may bring their own food since no outside food delivery is permitted.
Information:
David Gamble
Public Affairs and Operations Division
(613) 996-8080
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| Last Updated: 2005-11-10 |
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