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PROPOSED CALL ON THE GOVERNOR BY CANADIAN EDITOR
1.
n.
Diane/Francis, Editor of the Financial Post, Canada s nearest equivalent to the UK Financial Times, is planning to visit Hong Kong, China and Japan between 3-20 February, beginning with Hong Kong. We have been asked, via our Consul
General in Toronto, if the Governor could give her an interview. Both Toronto and the High Commission in Ottawa strongly support this request. They think that Ms Francis, whose views are respected and sensible, would be favourably disposed, and that the result would be good coverage in an influential organ.
2.
can well imagine that the Governor s diary for the first week in February is particularly heavily loaded. But I thought it worth giving this request one further push, on the basis of advice from Toronto that if Ms Francis goes to Hong Kong and is not seen by the Governor, this could have an adverse effect in Canada, where it might be seen as something of a snub to one of their foremost journalists. A further consideration is that Ms Francis will be speaking widely to contacts in the business community, where she may encounter more critics than supporters of the Governors proposals.
3. If the diary is impossible in the first week of February, would there be any chance of offering Ms Francis a slot at the beginning of the following week or possibly at the end of the third, say 18/19 February? We have not, of course, put this to her yet. We would like to be as helpful as we can, and also make sure Ms Francis gets a good briefing on political as well as economic issues.
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