GATINEAU – As Cartt.ca reported, Judith LaRocque has been appointed acting chair of the CRTC for the next four months effective immediately, Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed Monday.
LaRocque (pictured) recently filled in at the Commission as acting vice-chair of broadcasting from November 2016 to May 2017. In addition to "extensive experience in the broadcasting field", she has been Secretary to the Governor General, Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris.
This interim appointment will ensure the continuous and efficient operation of the CRTC, reads the news release, which also thanked former chair Jean-Pierre Blais for his five years of service (which the government knew was coming to an end since they were elected in 2015).
"Selection processes at the CRTC, including for the position of chair, were launched on January 23, 2017, and are open, transparent and merit-based", continues the release. "They are ongoing. Appointments will be announced in due course."
"In our changing world, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission works to ensure that all Canadians have access to a world-class communication system", added Minister Joly. "It's a challenging task, and I would like to thank Ms. LaRocque for agreeing to stay on the CRTC team as acting chair."
The Commission currently has openings for four commissioners, including chair, vice-chair broadcasting (open since Tom Pentefountas departed in the fall of 2015), Prairie commissioner and Ontario commissioner.
The thinking in Ottawa is that these positions will not be filled until summer is over, so we offer this for the folks inside the CRTC, who have worked hard through a tremendously busy half-decade, often under duress.
