January 15, 2020
OTTAWA—At the request of the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, will travel to Jerusalem from January 22 to 24, 2020, to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, which marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Following a year in which the Governor General attended ceremonies marking the outbreak of the Second World War, the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of the Scheldt and the Italian Campaign, Her Excellency’s attendance at this event highlights the importance of remembering the Holocaust and fighting antisemitism.
During this visit, she will also meet with His Excellency Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel, and attend a dinner hosted by the President for visiting heads of State and government representatives.
Below are the elements of the program that are open to media. Times are indicated in local time.
Jerusalem
Wednesday, January 22
6:30 p.m.
Dinner hosted by President Rivlin
Her Excellency, along with other heads of State and government representatives, will attend a dinner hosted by President Rivlin.
OPEN TO POOL MEDIA
Thursday, January 23
1:30 p.m.
Fifth World Holocaust Forum
The Governor General will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The commemoration event will feature speeches from world leaders and a Holocaust survivor. The event will conclude with a memorial ceremony commemorating victims of the Holocaust by laying wreaths at the base of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem. For more information, visit www.yadvashem.org.
OPEN TO POOL MEDIA
7:30 p.m.
Meeting with the Israeli President
The Governor General will meet with His Excellency Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel.
OPEN TO MEDIA — At the beginning of the meeting
-30-
Media wishing to obtain photos of the visit can contact the Rideau Hall Press Office.
This itinerary is subject to change without notice.
To obtain the latest updates, visit www.gg.ca.
Media information:
Josephine Laframboise
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-668-1929 (mobile)
josephine.laframboise@gg.ca
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