TORONTO – Friends of Canadian Broadcasting has launched an online voting system to help choose the next chair of the CBC.
The independent watchdog called the practice of appointing the CBC board and president “antiquated”, and that it be overhauled to “bring Canada in line with other developed countries which have removed political patronage from the process of appointing the leadership of their public broadcasters”. The term of current chair Timothy Casgrain expired this week.
The organization proposed eight candidates for the position, noting that none have neither asked nor agreed to stand for the CBC board chair position. Its nominees are:
– Herménégilde Chiasson, noted Acadian poet and playwright and former Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick;
– The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada;
– Jocelyn Coté-O’Hara, telecom and high technology businessperson; Member of the Order of Canada;
– Ujjal Dosanjh, former Premier of British Columbia;
– John Doyle, Globe and Mail columnist;
– Ivan Fecan, retired media executive with the CBC, as director of television programming and CTV, as CEO;
– The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General of Canada and journalist; and
– Mary Simon, National Inuit leader.
Online voting will be open until 9 pm EDST on April 28, 2012, and Friends has pledged to convey the results to the government before April 30, the deadline published in the official notice of vacancy.
