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Governor General to Celebrate the Bicentennial of Mexico's Independence and the Centennial of Its Revolution

At the request of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, will visit Mexico City on September 13 and 14, 2010, to attend celebrations marking the bicentennial of the independence of the United Mexican States and the centennial of its revolution. She will be accompanied by her husband, His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond.

"I am delighted to once again see President Felipe Calderon, who I have met on two previous occasions-once during the State visit I made in December 2009 and again at a meeting in Ottawa in May 2010. It is a great honour for me to take part in the celebrations marking the bicentennial of the independence of the United Mexican States and the centennial of the Mexican revolution," said Her Excellency Michaelle Jean.

Below is Their Excellencies' itinerary:

Monday, September 13

Noon
Arrival of Their Excellencies in Mexico City
Presidential Hangar, Mexico City International Airport, Benito Juarez
PHOTO OP-Upon Their Excellencies' arrival (Official Pool)

2:35 p.m.
Visit and discussion at La Casa de la Sal
The Governor General will visit La Casa de la Sal and speak with young
people living with AIDS.

Founded in 1986 by education specialist Rosa Maria Rivero, La Casa de la Sal
is a non-profit center that provides psychological, pedagogical and
educational support for children living with AIDS. Its goal is to increase
their life expectancy, which is limited by a social background that does not
enable them to access antiretroviral treatments, or education and schooling
that could provide an opening to the labour market. For 25 years, the Canada
Fund for Local Initiatives has supported the efforts of Mexican civil
society organizations such as La Casa de la Sal.
Mexico City
CLOSED TO MEDIA

5:00 p.m.
Visit to the Museum of Modern Art (Museo de Arte Moderno)
Their Excellencies will visit the Museum of Modern Art located in
Chapultepec Park, Mexico City. The museum features exhibitions of national
and international contemporary artists.
Bosque de Chapultepec, 11560 Mexico City
CLOSED TO MEDIA

Tuesday, September 14

10:45 a.m.
Visit to the "Mexico 200 Years" exhibition
National Palace Gallery, Mexico City
OPEN TO MEDIA (Official pool)

1:30 p.m.
Lunch hosted by Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Secretary of
Foreign Affairs for the United Mexican States
Garden, National Museum of Anthropology and History, Mexico City
OPEN TO MEDIA-Opening remarks only

7:00 p.m.
Meeting with His Excellency Felipe Calderon Hinojosa, President of the
United Mexican States, and his wife, Margarita Zavala
O'Gorman Mural Foyer, Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City
PHOTO OP-Upon Their Excellencies' arrival (Official pool)

7:30 p.m.
Official dinner in honour of the bicentennial of the United Mexican States,
hosted by the President and his wife
Esplanade, Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City
OPEN TO MEDIA-Opening remarks only

9:00 p.m.
Cultural and folkloric evening
Esplanade, Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City
CLOSED TO MEDIA