OTTAWA – Writer Guy Fournier has been proposed as the next chairman of the board of the CBC by Canadian Heritage Minister Liza Frulla.
Fournier will now face the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage for approval, which is basically a rubber-stamp. Fournier replaces Carole Taylor, who quit earlier this year to enter provincial politics in British Columbia.
“I am pleased to recommend such a distinguished Quebecker and Canadian like Mr. Fournier for this important role,” said Minister Frulla in her press release. “It goes without saying that his vast experience in newspapers, film, television and the theatre will be of great benefit to the Corporation and its audience across the country.”
He has been a director of CBC since February of this year.
During his career as a writer, Fournier has published numerous books, including a collection of poems, two collections of humour, and children’s books. He wrote scripts for more than 200 episodes of popular television series, such as Rue de l’Anse, Jamais deux sans toi and Manon. He also wrote the narration for more than 50 films and the script for two feature films, Souris, tu m’inquiètes and Maria Chapdelaine, according to the release.
Fournier is also the founder of the Institut québécois du cinéma, which he headed from 1978 to 1981. From 1978 to 1979, he served as vice-chair of the Consultative Committee on the Implications of Telecommunications for Canadian Sovereignty.
He was closely involved in the launch of the Télévision Quatre-Saisons network in the mid-1980s and chaired the Commission d’étude sur le cinéma et l’audiovisuel, established by the Government of Québec.
Fournier was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1992, and has received numerous professional awards including the Grand Prix of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.
