GATINEAU – The five-year term of commissioner Michel Arpin, the CRTC’s vice-chair broadcasting, expires at the end of August and according to sources, the Prime Minister’s Office has been firm in saying it won’t be extended.
We’ve heard many rumours from a number of sources who asked not to be named about potential replacements, a few of whom were mentioned in our original story speculating on who may replace him in that role. We’ve also heard speculation that the position may just be left vacant for a while.
Arpin is a well-respected broadcast policy veteran with a long history in the industry and was appointed August 31, 2005. Prior to that he was a senior regulatory and governmental affairs advisor for Astral Media. He also worked for Radiomutuel and had a prior stint with the Commission from 1971 to ’79. Arpin has been working in broadcasting since 1963.
Other names we’ve heard speculated about since our original report have been Luc Perreault, vice-president of affiliate and government relations at Pelmorex and Sylvie Courtemanche, VP government relations at Corus Entertainment.
Both Perreault and Courtemanche have been approached to gauge their interest in the job and both have apparently said no thanks.
Another rumour out of Ottawa-Gatineau says that chairman Konrad von Finckenstein has asked the PMO to extend M Arpin’s tenure until his own expires in January 2012.
Complicating the selection process is that the federal government has promised to appoint a francophone Quebecker to the post, since the vice-chair telecom, Len Katz, is an Anglophone. That means the list of potential candidates is a bit more limited.
Further, the 2008 Lobbying Act, which prohibits someone in a public office, like a CRTC commissioner, from going to work in a lobbying or government relations role in the industry their office oversees until five years after they leave that office, also limits who would be interested in a spot on the panel of commissioners.
Finally, someone from within the Commission staff could be named to the post. Such a move is not unprecedented as former vice-chair broadcasting Fernand Belisle (1990-97) was promoted from within the Commission staff ranks (he had been secretary general prior to his ascension to vice-chair broadcasting).
We talked to the Prime Minister’s Office on Friday asking about their timeline on when a replacement for M Arpin will be announced and were told by a spokesperson that it a decision on a new vice-chair broadcasting will happen sometime in August.
– Greg O’Brien
