(No. 71 - February 19, 2010 - 1:45 p.m. ET>) The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour, today announced, on behalf of the Government of Canada, that the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) will be the venue for the G20 Summit on June 26-27, 2010. Minister Raitt also unveiled the official summit logo.
“The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation,” said Minister Raitt. “Canada’s leadership will be reflected at the summit in Toronto, and hosting it will provide an ideal opportunity to showcase this great city.”
“The Government of Canada is proud to announce a world-class venue for the G20 Summit,” said the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs. “The G20 Summit is an opportunity for Canada to continue to exercise its leadership on the world stage, to promote Canadian values and to take further decisive action to weather the global financial crisis.”
The MTCC has hosted high-security events such as the G7 Summit in 1988 and the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in 1999. Last year, the MTCC hosted visits from two former U.S. presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
A number of factors contributed to the selection of the MTTC as the G20 venue, including:
- Accessible location: within walking distance of more than 12,000 hotel rooms;
- Facility size: two million square feet of flexible space to accommodate the meeting, work areas, and dining needs of 10,000 delegates;
- Security experience: long-standing working relationships with high-security teams, including the RCMP, Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and the United States Secret Service;
- Proximity to the airport: the MTCC is a 20-minute drive from Pearson International Airport; and
- Technology: state-of-the-art technology and telecommunications infrastructure with a skilled team of technology specialists.
“Canada is looking forward to hosting a successful G20 Summit that will help ensure credible and concrete solutions to global economic challenges,” said Minister Flaherty. “Our goal is for this key international event to help transform the collective reaction to a world in crisis into a sustained focus on long-term stability. The global effort Canada is leading is designed to help bring health, stability and sustainability back to the global economy.”
About the MTCC
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is Canada’s leading convention and trade-show facility. Since its opening in 1984, the MTCC has hosted approximately 15,000 events and entertained more than 40 million guests. For further information, please visit Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
About the G20 Summit logo
The official G20 Summit logo features a depiction of the CN tower. The triangular shape of the tower represents paths converging toward a shared goal. At the end of this path, a circle represents the meeting of the G20. The varied sizes and number of diamonds in the logo allude to the cultural attributes that make Toronto one of the world’s most ethnically diverse cities.
For information on the G20 guidelines and graphic standards, please visit G20.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Catherine Loubier
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
613-995-1851
Jocelyne Turner
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Labour
819-953-5646
Annette Robertson
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Finance
613-996-7861
Catherine Gagnaire
Summits Management Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
