(No. A/96 - Monday, December 5, 2011)
Media are invited to participate in an embargoed reading and background briefing on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, at noon on Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Washington, D.C.
All media must register in advance, and entry is restricted to journalists accredited through the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery. To register, or for more information on accreditation, contact Terry Guillon, Chief of the Press Gallery, at 613-992-4511 or guillt@parl.gc.ca
The embargoed reading and background briefing will take place in the Robertson Room and the Skelton Lobby of the Lester B. Pearson Building, at 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario.
Media will have access to the room as of 11 a.m. The embargoed reading will officially start at 11:30 a.m. A presentation by senior officials will begin at noon, followed by a Q & A session. Audio recording, including video recording with audio, of this presentation is prohibited.
Media representatives will be given copies of all documents at 11:30 a.m.
All materials will be under embargo until the Prime Minister speaks from Washington. A government official will signal the end of the embargo.
Once the embargo has commenced, no one will be allowed to leave the room until the embargo is lifted.
Media will be required to sign an undertaking to respect the release arrangements and not to remove, release or communicate documents, materials, information or other records until they are released from the embargo. Media will be permitted to communicate with their offices and file to their desks, but all media outlets are required to respect the embargo.
After the embargo is lifted, stakeholders will be available to be interviewed on the record. These interviews will take place in the Cadieux Auditorium of the Pearson Building.
Working space in the Robertson Room of the Pearson Building will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note that space at the Lester B. Pearson Building will be available until 5 p.m., at which time media organizations present will need to vacate the premises.
Workstations with power sources and Wi-Fi access will also be made available to journalists.
Transportation to the Pearson Building will not be made available.
Refreshments will be available in the lock-up area. Media may purchase food from the cafeteria in the Pearson Building, but no embargoed documents are allowed to leave the secured area.
Marie-Christine Lilkoff
Media Relations
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-944-1875
