OTTAWA, Nov. 30, 2018 /CNW/ – Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, will undertake a working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan from December 3 to 5, 2018.

In Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, the Governor General will meet with His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan. She will also attend an official luncheon on women’s leadership and visit Kazakhstan’s National Space Center. During her visit, which will also recognize Canadian excellence, Her Excellency will travel to the Cosmodrome in Baikonur for the launch of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques on his mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

Below is Her Excellency’s itinerary. Times are indicated in local time (ALMT).

Monday, December 3
Baikonur, Kazakhstan

5:30 p.m.
Launch of Canadian Astronaut David Saint-Jacques to the International Space Station
Her Excellency will attend the launch of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and his crewmates Anne McClain and Oleg Kononenko to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 58 will take Mr. Saint-Jacques on a six-month mission to test new technologies and conduct a series of scientific experiments and robotics tasks on board the orbiting laboratory.

From 1992 to 2013, Governor General Julie Payette worked as an astronaut and flew two missions in space: STS-96 in 1999 and STS-127 in 2009. She also served many years as CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator) at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, and was chief astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency.
Cosmodrome, Baikonur
OPEN TO ACCREDITED MEDIA

Tuesday, December 4
Astana, Kazakhstan

1:15 p.m.
Luncheon on Women’s Leadership Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan
In honour of Her Excellency’s working visit to Kazakhstan, the Honourable Dariga Nazarbayeva, Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Defence and Security of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will host a luncheon on women’s leadership. The event will be attended by prominent women from the government and private sectors.
St. Regis Hotel
PHOTO OP FOR ACCREDITED MEDIA—At the beginning of the meeting

3 p.m.
Meeting with the President of Kazakhstan
The Governor General will meet with His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, to discuss bilateral relations between Canada and Kazakhstan.
Presidential Palace
PHOTO OP FOR ACCREDITED MEDIA—At the beginning of the meeting

3:45 p.m.
Meeting with the Speaker of the Senate
Her Excellency will meet with His Excellency Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
PHOTO OP FOR ACCREDITED MEDIA—At the beginning of the meeting

4:30 p.m.
Special Event Celebrating Youth and Hockey
Her Excellency will skate with young Kazakhstani hockey players and Canadian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) stars from the Barys Astana Hockey team for an event that will celebrate our nations’ mutual love of the game and emphasize the Governor General’s passion for active living and youth in sport. The Canadian embassy will mark the occasion by donating hockey equipment to the Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation to help the sport expand in the country.

The donation is the result of the successful Canada 150 Hockey Days in Kazakhstan event, which was organized by the Canadian Embassy in 2017 as part of our country’s sesquicentennial celebrations and the 25^th anniversary of Canada–Kazakhstan relations. The event raised money for Kazakhstani youth while demonstrating that hockey is for everyone, regardless of age or gender. 
Barys Hockey Arena
OPEN TO ACCREDITED MEDIA

Wednesday, December 5
Astana, Kazakhstan

9:30 a.m.
Visit to the National Space Center
Her Excellency will visit the facility and meet with officials and Kazakhstani cosmonauts to further strengthen recent space co-operation between Canada and Kazakhstan in June 2018.
National Space Center
OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY

Members of the public can follow the Governor General’s working visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as online at www.gg.ca, where photos and videos will be posted.

Media wishing to obtain photos of the visit can contact the Rideau Hall Press Office.
This itinerary is subject to change without notice.
To obtain the latest updates, please visit www.gg.ca.

Follow GGJuliePayette and RideauHall on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada