OTTAWA – On Tuesday morning, the federal government will name former Telesat and Telus executive Ian Scott as chairman of the CRTC, Cartt.ca has learned. (Scott is pictured in a screen cap from cpac.ca during 2016's basic services objective hearing.)
As well, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada legal counsel Caroline Simard will be named vice-chair, broadcasting. Both will assume their new duties and begin their five-year terms in September.
CRTC senior legal counsel Christianne Laizner will also be named interim vice-chair telecom, effective immediately, filling the slot left open by Peter Menzies’ departure last week to become director of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. Her appointment is for one year, unless she is appointed full-time vice-chair.
Scott has held a variety of senior private sector roles, most recently as executive director of government and regulatory affairs of Telesat Canada and prior to that as vice-president of federal government relations for Telus. He also spent a year as chief advisor to past CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein in 2007-08 and spent time at former competitive telco Call-Net and the now defunct Canadian Cable Television Association.
Readers will recall that Judith LaRocque is currently filling in as interim chair since the federal government couldn’t name a replacement prior to former chair Jean-Pierre Blais’s planned departure in June. The permanent vice-chair broadcasting role has been empty since Tom Pentefountas resigned in the fall of 2015. LaRocque filled in there for six months, too.
Caroline J. Simard has been with ISED (formerly Industry Canada) for a number of years and also worked at the International Telecommunications Union. According to the official press release sent out early Tuesday afternoon, Simard, is a PhD in law (McGill) and has been legal counsel at ISED since 2007. Before that she was senior telecommunications expert with the ITU, plus previously held positions with the Centre d'études sur l'intégration et la mondialisation (CÉIM) at Université du Québec à Montréal, Verrier Pacquin Hébert Consultants Inc., Téléglobe Inc. and others.
Laizner (right) was promoted to senior general counsel and executive director, legal sector of the CRTC in 2013 after 
having joined the Commission in 2010 from the Department of Justice.
The Ontario regional commissioner and Manitoba and Saskatchewan regional commissioner positions will remain vacant for the time being as the government has made no annoucements there. We have asked what's going on with those and will update when we are given an answer.
The two canned quotes released by the federal government are as follows. Read between the lines as you will:
"This is a dynamic team that will bring new vision and leadership to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Mr. Scott and Dr. Simard have extensive experience in the industry and a deep understanding of what Canadians expect in their telecommunications and broadcasting systems. These leaders will implement a strong vision for the CRTC, focusing on service to Canadians and supporting the production and dissemination of diverse creative content that will lead to the success of our telecommunications, creators and creative industries in the digital era", is attributed to Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly.
"I congratulate these accomplished leaders, who will bring a diversity of perspectives to Canada's telecommunications and broadcast regulator. Under their leadership, the CRTC will continue to champion the social and economic needs of Canadians by encouraging more competition and innovation among telecommunications providers. This way, all Canadians will benefit from a broader choice of high-quality services at affordable prices. The prosperity of Canadians depends on their ability to have access to these services, which allow them to thrive in a global and digital economy," reads ISED Minister Navdeep Bains's quote.
