A spokesman for the promoter of the Canadian Grand Prix has revealed that it is down to the government to decide if the race will be revived following the FIA's decision to remove it from the 2009 Formula One calendar.

Speaking on behalf of promoter Normand Legault, spokesman Paul Wilson confirmed that Legault's F1 Grand Prix du Canada company was no longer interested in promoting the event, with rising costs having put it out of reach of private promoters.

However, with the event bringing huge revenue and economic spinoffs to the city, conservative minister for the Montreal region Michael Fortier has already contacted F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone having been urged to by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"I know that Michael wants to start moving things and wants to have meetings, and as I said to him today, if he needs our help to speak to people and build a business plan of what it could be like, we'll be there for sure," Wilson was quoted by the Canadian Press Association. "It's for them to call the shots. If they think it's a good idea for the city, for the province, for the country, let's go for it."

The decision to drop Canada came following commercial disagreements between the FIA and the promoter, with the promoter having made a series of proposals to ease Montreal's financial burden but all of them having been turned down.

With Grand Prix du Canada having now stated that it no longer wishes to promote the event, the government will now need to decide whether or not it is worth trying to save the race.

"It is true that a commercial disagreement existed between us, and we are sorry that Mr. Ecclestone deemed it appropriate to cut short the negotiations and react in this manner," Wilson continued. "For an organisation like ours, which is to say a private promoter, the actual business model implemented by the owners and the Formula One teams is no longer feasible.

"Is it worth it? I can't answer that; they (governments) can."