Standing Committee on Finance

HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6

Comité permanent des finances

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 19, 2008 -

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance is planning to hold its public hearings on the 2008 pre-budget consultations when Parliament resumes in fall 2008.

The Committee hopes to hold public hearings in:

Ottawa

Vancouver October 1
Edmonton October 2
Yellowknife October 3

St-John’s October 6
Moncton October 7
Lévis October 8

Regina October 20
Winnipeg October 21
Toronto October 22

If you wish to make an appearance before the Committee during its consultations, please advise us electronically by indicating the city of your choice no later than Thursday, 31 July 2008.

In your email indicating your desire to appear, please indicate three locations where you are willing to appear before the Committee:

1. XXXX
2. XXXX
3. XXXX

The Committee will do its best to accommodate all witnesses that make a request to appear, but cannot guarantee that everyone will have an opportunity to make an oral presentation to the Committee.

The deadline to submit the accompanying written brief is no later than Friday, 15 August 2008 in order that the brief can be translated and distributed to Committee members. You are able to submit a brief even if you do not wish to appear in front of the Committee.

Briefs should be no longer than five pages in length, should include an executive summary, and should contain only one recommendation that reflects your most important federal program spending or taxation priority. In the event that briefs contain more than one recommendation, only the first one will be considered by the Committee.

Briefs can be submitted electronically or by mail to:

Jean-Francois Pagé
Clerk, Standing Committee on Finance
6-14, 131 Queen Street
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Email: fina@parl.gc.ca

The 31 July and 15 August deadlines will be respected, and exceptions will not be given.

As you are aware, the Parliamentary schedule changes from time to time; consequently, the dates indicated above for our cross-country hearings may have to be altered. Information will be updated regularly on the Committee’s website should there be any changes. Visit the website at www.parl.gc.ca/FINA

Your contribution to the Committee’s pre-budget consultation is critically important to the consultation process. On behalf of all Committee members, I look forward to hearing from you and having you identify for us your priority issue for the next federal budget.

Sincerely,

Rob Merrifield, Member of Parliament
Yellowhead
Chair