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Harper arrives in Davos for economic forum
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CBC News
Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Switzerland early Wednesday for a major international economic conference in the mountain resort town of Davos.
Also attending the meeting will be a number of other world leaders, central bankers, high-powered CEOs and some of the world's top thinkers.
Harper will deliver a speech that will likely urge Europe to act quickly to resolve its sovereign debt crisis.
He'll also engage in a question-and-answer series with Klaus Schwab, the German economist who founded the World Economic Forum discussions in Davos.
On Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund warned that Europe is slipping into a mild recession that's dragging down the rest of the world.
Harper will explain the need to diversify its international trade base so Canada won't be so reliant on the U.S., where the economy is struggling.
Sources say he will also use the mountain retreat to set the tone for this spring's belt-tightening budget.
Also attending the conference are Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney and Quebec Premier Jean Charest, as well as numerous business leaders.
Harper is also expected to hold a couple of roundtable discussions with international and Canadian businesses, as a "temperature check on the global economy," said his spokesman Andrew MacDougall.
Throughout the formal and informal gatherings, Harper will promote Canada as a source of trade, natural resources and economic stability, MacDougall said.
However, part of his message will be meant mainly for a domestic audience, stressing the need to keep Canada's finances on track amid global economic fragility.
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