AUGUST 21, 2003

Canada's Justice Minister heads for Budapest

Canadian Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is leading a government delegation to Hungary in an attempt to save the Canadian Grand Prix. Their aim is to convince Bernie Ecclestone and the F1 teams to reverse the decision to drop the annual event from the 2004 calendar. Canada has a ban on tobacco advertising which begins on October 1 and this is the cause of the cancellation of the race, one of the most popular on the F1 calendar.

Cauchon says he will argue that other countries with stricter tobacco advertising laws have not been axed, notably France and Britain.

Cauchon is also planning to argue that F1 needs Canada as much as Canada needs F1 as it is an important foothold in the US market but he is likely to face an uphill struggle as the Canadian government says it will not change the law and Ecclestone says he will not change his mind. Cauchon will be accompanied by race promoter Normand Legault, representatives of the provincial government and tourism officials from Montreal.