September 12, 2007
Ottawa, September 12, 2007 – The Hon. Vic Toews, President of the Treasury Board, has confirmed he will keynote the Distinction Awards on October 15 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The addition of Minister Toews caps off a string of announcements that senior government mandarins will participate in the 2007 edition of GTEC Week.
For the past 15 years, the Distinction Awards have recognized and celebrated excellence in the use of technology to improve government service delivery. This gala dinner is a milestone event each year for government and industry, where gold, silver and bronze medals are presented to team leaders from public sector organizations. It's the culmination of an eight month adjudication process and peer review by government, industry and technology associations.
"The addition of Minister Toews truly adds to the recognition message we want to deliver" says Awards Executive Director Kevin d'Entremont. "It's crucial that there be a mechanism to recognize and celebrate public sector achievements that lead to improved service delivery to citizens. The Minister is the right person to deliver a message, as a leading member of the cabinet and as a former public servant, on the value of promoting excellence in government."
Adding to the excitement is the fact that Minister Toews will be speaking to a full house. Well over 500 seats are already accounted for at this year's Distinction Awards gala, surpassing the actual attendance at the 2006 event with four weeks remaining until the event. "The guidance we have received from the federal government is that this event is vital to recognizing excellence and that teams are indeed encouraged to participate in this event" adds d'Entremont. "Treasury Board just recommends that public servants ensure they cover the cost of their participation and reimburse the expense through the appropriate channels."
Yet again, GTEC 2007 is showing signs of tremendous resurgence and momentum. This announcement follows recent confirmations of executive participation in the event. According to Kevin d'Entremont "We have the Clerk of the Privy Council confirmed to open our conference, the chairs of the PSCIOC and PSSDC presenting awards at the Gala, the Federal CIO is our Honourary Chair, plus Deputy Minister and CIO events planned at the conference…and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are signs of momentum and significant value across GTEC Week. From the awards to the conference to the Gala, GTEC is bringing communities together, shaping dialogue and making a contribution to public sector service transformation. It's extremely exciting to be part of the wave of change."
About the 2007 GTEC Distinction Awards Gala
The 2007 GTEC Distinction Awards Gala ceremony will take place on Monday, October 15, 2007 at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. This year the Gala will be hosted by CTV Television personality Ben Mulroney. Mulroney is the host of CTV’s eTalk Daily and Canadian Idol. For more information about attending the Gala or purchasing a table, please contact Silvia Villon, 613 736-9851 x 120 or
svillon@cmp.com.
About GTEC 2007
Now in its 15th year, GTEC is recognized as Canada's most significant forum on the use of technology to improve government services and operations. The event features an annual Distinction Awards program and gala, a comprehensive Professional Development Forum, and the GTEC Exhibition. The conference program and extensive trade show are attended annually by an estimated 7,000 professionals. For more information, please visit www.gtec.ca
For Media inquiries only, please contact:
Kathryn Schwab
Media and Analyst Relations
GTEC 2007
Phone: 613-858-4407
kschwab@cmp.com
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