OTTAWA—At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, along with her husband, His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond, will conduct a State visit to theKingdom of Norway, fromApril 28 to 30, 2009.
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will accompany Their Excellencies throughout the State visit, which will help to further develop bilateral relations between the two countries. The visit will underscore our shared values, including the importance we place on finding a fair balance between economic development and environmental protection, and the priority we give to education and youth engagement. This State visit will also provide an opportunity for Canada and Norway to pool their expertise on Arctic development and northern populations.
A delegation of Canadians representing a variety of fields—including diversity, governance, arts and culture, civic engagement and youth—will play an active role in Their Excellencies’meetings with civil society. Information about members of the Canadian delegation will be available at www.gg.ca.
State visits by a governor general play an important role in Canada’s relations with other countries. They are the highest form of diplomatic contact, and they mark further developments in bilateral relations and exchanges among peoples.
The public can follow the State visit to Norway through the speeches, photos and videos available daily at www.gg.ca. Blogs written by Their Excellencies and the delegates will be posted on www.citizenvoices.gg.ca.
Detailed itinerary for the State visits (local time):
STATE VISIT TO THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY
Tuesday, April 28
Oslo, Norway
10:30 a.m.
Official welcoming ceremony with military honours
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will officially welcome Their Excellencies to Norway during a ceremony with military honours.
Pavilion, The Royal Palace, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
10:45 a.m.
Meeting with Their Majesties of the Kingdom of Norway
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will receive Their Excellencies for a meeting.
The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19thcentury as the Norwegian residence of Norwegian and Swedish King Karl XIV Johan and is used as the official residence of the Norwegian monarch.
Fugleværelset Room, The Royal Palace, Oslo
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–Official group photo only.
12 p.m.
Meeting with Acting President of the Parliament
Their Excellencies will meet with Mr. Carl. I. Hagen, Acting President of The Storting, at Stortinget, the Norwegian Parliament.
The Stortinget, in its present form, was first constituted at Eidsvoll, in 1814, although its origins can be traced back to theallting(common assemblies) of the early ninth century.
Stortinget (Norwegian Parliament), Oslo
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–Upon arrival of Their Excellencies and media pool for the beginning of the meeting.
12:35 p.m.
Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Norwegian War Memorial
Her Excellency will lay a wreath at the War Memorial located at Akershus Castle. She will be accompanied by Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway and His Excellency
Jean-Daniel Lafond. The memorial is situated in the area where Norwegian patriots were executed by the Germans during the Second World War. Dating back to 1299, this medieval castle and royal residence was developed into a fortress in 1592, and then rebuilt into a Renaissance castle between 1637 and 1648.
National Monument Akershus Castle, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
1 p.m.
Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Oslo Western Civil Cemetery (Vestre Gravlund)
Her Excellency will lay a wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial at Vestre Gravlund (Oslo Western Cemetery). This cemetery comprises the largest concentration of graves from the Second World War, including eight Canadian graves. The Governor General will be accompanied by Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway and His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond.
Vestre Gravlund, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
4 p.m.
Meeting with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway
Their Excellencies will have a meeting with Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway.
Prime Minister Office, Oslo
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–Upon arrival of Their Excellencies and at the beginning of the meeting.
7:45 p.m.
State Dinner hosted by Their Majesties of the Kingdom of Norway
As part of the visit to Norway, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will host a State dinner in honour of Their Excellencies. The King and the Governor General will deliver remarks on this occasion.
TheRoyal Palace, Oslo
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–At the beginning only.
Wednesday, April 29
Oslo, Norway
9 a.m.
Meeting with Canadian and Norwegian Business People
Her Excellency will meet with Canadian and Norwegian business people to discuss what businesses can do to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.
Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, Oslo
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–At the beginning of the meeting and during the tour.
10 a.m.
Visit to the Norwegian Film Institute
His Excellency and Canadian delegates will visit the Norwegian Film Institute. A discussion with Norwegian filmmakers will take place following the visit. Canada and Norway have a highly successful record of collaboration due, in part, to the Canadian-Norwegian Audiovisual
Co-production agreement.
Filmen hus, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
11 a.m.
Youth Dialogue on Diversity
In the presence of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, Her Excellency will host a Youth Dialogue on diversity with non-governmental organizations and students. The Governor General will deliver a speech and invite young people to express their views on the subject matter. Cultural performances will be presented by Norwegian and Canadian artists.
The Oslo International Culture Museum, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
3:30 p.m.
PublicArt MattersForum by His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond
In the presence of Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, Their Excellencies will present a publicArt Mattersforum on the theme of“How do the arts sustain local communities?”. His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond will lead the panel for the forum exploring current Canadian-Norwegian approaches to arts bridging geographic and cultural distances.Litteraturhuset, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
7 p.m.
Reception hosted by the Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Norway
Ms. Jillian Stirk, Ambassador of Canada to the Kingdom of Norway, will host a reception where Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will join Their Excellencies and the Norwegian and Canadian guests for a celebration. During the reception, internationally acclaimed Canadian soprano singer Measha Brueggergosman will perform, and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games will be featured.
Dansens Hus, Oslo
OPEN TO MEDIA
Thursday April 30
Tromsø, Norway
12:30 p.m.
Visit of TromsøCity Centre
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway and Their Excellencies will walk down the main pedestrian street and through the city’s town square to visit stands representing important aspects of life in Tromsø.
City Centre, Tromsø
OPEN TO MEDIA
2:15 p.m.
Norwegian Ministerial Luncheon
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway and Their Excellencies will attend a luncheon offered by Ms. Helga Pedersen, Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway. The luncheon will provide an opportunity to highlight the strong ties between Canadian and Norwegian researchers.
SpareBank1, Tromsø
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–Opening remarks only.
4:45 p.m.
Dialogue with Indigenous people
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway will join Their Excellencies in a discussion with Sámi leaders and others to learn more about the centre for Sámi Studies’unique Indigenous studies programs, as well as the University of Tromsø, the world’s northernmost university.
Àrdna Cultural Centre, University of Tromsø, Tromsø
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY–At the beginning of the dialogue only.
-30-
Speeches, photos and videos of the State visits to Ukraine and the Kingdom of Norway will be available daily at www.gg.ca. Blogs written by Their Excellencies and delegates will be posted on www.citizenvoices.gg.ca.
Media also have access to high-resolution images and video at ftp://rideauhall.ca
(username: media; password: osgg).
Media information
Isabelle Serrurier
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-7280
iserrurier@gg.ca
