TWO SOURCES HAVE confirmed to Cartt.ca that former Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is one of the finalists for the position of president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasters Association.
Final interviews are apparently being done this week, say the sources with intimate knowledge of the situation, but Copps is apparently the leader in the clubhouse right now.
Copps, a very high profile MP through the 80s and 90s, held the Hamilton East riding for 20 years for the federal Liberals, beginning in 1984 and was Deputy Prime Minister under PM Jean Chretien from 1993 to 1997.
A journalist by trade (she now writes for Quebecor Media and hosts a radio show), Copps oversaw the CRTC and the broadcast industry as Minister of Canadian Heritage from 1997 to 2003. She didn’t run in the 2004 general election after a bitter local riding battle.
Known for her tenacious style and forceful personality, Copps looks to be a very good choice to lead a dramatically smaller CAB, but one which has refocused on lobbying politicians rather than the regulators. She seems to be a good choice as an advocate for Canadian broadcasters facing an uncertain future.
The broadcasters’ association cut half of its staff earlier this year and former president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell resigned. A management committee comprised of the CAB executive council: executive vice-president policy and public affairs (Elizabeth Roscoe), chief financial officer (Sylvie Bissonnette), general counsel (Margot Patterson) and chief regulatory officer (Pierre Louis-Smith) have been running the association since late January.
Watch Cartt.ca for more on this developing story.
– Greg O’Brien
