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Contact:
Emily Laderman
MWW Group
212 827 3764
eladerman@mww.com
Scotland’s First
Minister to Make His Inaugural Visit to Canada
Scotland’s First
Minister, Jack McConnell, to Meet with Toronto Business and Government
Leaders in Developing Ties Across the Atlantic
Toronto—October 27, 2005 – In honor of the more
than four million Canadians of Scottish descent living across Canada, the
First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, is touring Toronto today to
meet with business and government leaders. This trip marks the first
visit by the office of the First Minister to Canada since the devolution
of the Scottish Government in 1997. Mr. McConnell looks to enhance
Scotland’s diverse relationship with Canada and all the Scottish
descendents and expatriates residing throughout her provinces.
In addition to meeting with a range of business
leaders and influential members of the Canadian Parliament, the First
Minister will host a reception the evening of October 27, 2005 to
celebrate the overlap of community and culture between Canada and
Scotland. Including performances by the Scottish Ballet, Croft No. 5,
a Scottish fashion show produced by Kelly Cooper Barr and a presentation
from the First Minister, the banquet will pay tribute to the longstanding
history of shared heritage between the two countries.
The First Minister’s visit will compliment the
opening of a Toronto-based office for Scottish Development International
(SDI). The Toronto office will act as a new hub of financial development
and support for the Scottish Diaspora throughout Canada and North America.
“Scotland is a major global leader in life
sciences, financial services, and energy development. Strengthening the
bond between Canada and Scotland only enhances the mutually beneficial
relationship we share across all fields of economic, governmental and
social growth,” said Jack McConnell, Scotland’s First Minister. “By
embracing the ties of our collective histories, Scotland and Canada will
continue to pioneer a new level of collaborative development and success
worldwide.”
About the Scottish
First Minister
Jack
McConnell has been serving as Scotland’s First Minister since November
2001. He is the third person to be charged with running the devolved
Scottish government and is responsible for development, implementation and
presentation of Executive policy and for promoting and representing
Scotland’s economic efforts to the rest of the world. McConnell began his
career as an educator in 1984 and has served as a member of the Stirling
District Council, first as the Council Treasurer and later as the Council
Leader. Following his tenure on the Council, McConnell became the General
Secretary of the Scottish Labour Party, where he managed the 1997
election, while working as a member of the Scottish Constitutional
Convention. Prior to his election as First Minister, McConnell was the
Finance Minister and Education Minister of Scotland. McConnell holds a
bachelor of science from University of Stirling.
There was
also an advert taken out in the Globe and Mail and thanks to Doug Ross for
sending this into us...
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