The politics of CBC governance

Issue Breakdown

CBC Board Appointments

The process for appointing Directors to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors has been highly politicized and has courted controversy for decades. FRIENDS has led national grassroots advocacy efforts to end political interference in the governance and management of the CBC, most recently in response to the appointments made by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government. While significant progress has been made since that time, obstacles continue to stand in the way of real independence for Canada’s public broadcaster.

CBC Board Appointments - Q&A

Who runs the CBC?

Based on the Broadcasting Act, the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors is responsible "for the management of the business, activities and other affairs of the Corporation". The Board is comprised of twelve Directors from across the country whose terms are staggered, according to the date of their appointment. All directors are eligible to serve up to a maximum of two five-year terms (ten years, total), unless they are re-appointed as Chairperson or President. The Chairperson and President are eligible to be re-appointed at the end of any term.

Was the CBC/Radio-Canada Board appointed by Stephen Harper?

During the years of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors was highly criticized for its close connections to the government of the day. Prime Minister Harper arranged Board appointments for a majority of Directors who had close links to the Conservatives, including Brian Mitchell, who later ran for president of the Conservative Party of Canada. Indeed, at least seven Directors on CBC's Board were donors to the Conservative Party of Canada. In response, FRIENDS launched a national campaign calling for an end to political appointments, making this a key issue in the 2015 Canadian federal election. Today, none of the Directors appointed by the government of Stephen Harper remain on the Board.

Who identifies candidates to be on the CBC/Radio-Canada Board?

Following FRIENDS' national campaign to put an end to political appointments to the CBC's Board of Directors, Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in 2017 created The Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors to be a non-partisan, independent body tasked with identifying, "Canadians who would make a significant contribution to the work of the Board of Directors of CBC/Radio-Canada." The Advisory Committee uses merit-based criteria in order to identify candidates for the Board.

Did Justin Trudeau’s government actually put an end to political influence?

Following pressure from FRIENDS, the 2015 Trudeau government promised to reform the appointment process for the CBC Board of Directors by eliminating political appointments. In responding to that promise, the Liberals created the The Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors and claimed to have separated the appointment process from political influence. However, this initiative ultimately fell short. While the Independent Advisory Committee identifies Board candidates, the final decision on Board appointments continues to made by the Governor in Council on the direction of the Minister of Canadian Heritage — a partisan ministerial position.

CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors

All twelve members of the CBC's current Board of Directors were selected and appointed using a system introduced in 2017 by Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, drawing from a pool of candidates identified by a special Advisory Committee. The final decision on Board appointments is made by the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Directors come from across Canada, however, there is at most regional representation, rather than provincial representation. The Board is comprised of Anglophones and Francophones; four of the current Directors are from Quebec; seven of the current Directors are female; one Director is Indigenous.

Current Directors

Catherine Tait
President and CEO
Toronto, Ontario
Current term: July 3, 2018–July 2, 2023

Catherine Tait is a media executive with considerable experience leading film, television, and digital content companies in Canada and the United States. She was appointed President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada in April 2018. Since her appointment, Tait has dramatically accelerated CBC’s pivot to digital services. She has also overseen the opening up CBC’s platforms to controversial advertising initiatives such as Tandem.

Michael Goldbloom
Chair of the Board
Westmount, Quebec
Current term: March 29, 2018–March 28, 2023

Michael Goldbloom is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop’s University. He is a lawyer by training and previously worked as a newspaper publisher at The Gazette and The Toronto Star. He has served on a number of non-profit boards and was the former President and CEO of the YMCA of Montréal. He was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board as Chair in April 2018.

Guillaume Aniorté
Director
Montréal, Quebec
Current term: March 29, 2018–March 28, 2023

Guillaume Aniorté is an active entrepreneur and business consultant in Canada’s digital and creative sectors. His entertainment companies focus on digital content for young people and he also provides strategic advice to institutions and non-profits on new media and digital content. He was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in April 2018.

Rita Shelton Deverell
Director
Coldwater, Ontario
Current term: November 28, 2020–November 27, 2025

Rita Shelton Deverell is a scholar, author, artist and former broadcaster. She is an active member of numerous boards and committees, including the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ontario Museum, and is also an educator at Lakehead University and Mount Saint Vincent University. She previously hosted a variety of programs on CBC television, was the former Director of the University of Regina’s Journalism School, and was co-founder of Vision TV. She was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in November 2020.

Suzanne Guévremont
Director
Montréal, Quebec
Current term: July 30, 2018–July 29, 2023

Suzanne Guévremont is the Executive Director of the Pôle en arts et créativité numériques, a school affiliated with the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi that provides technical training in computer graphics, animation, and visual effects.

René Légère
Director
Moncton, New Brunswick
Current term: December 14, 2017–December 13, 2022

René Légère is the Executive Director of the Aberdeen Cultural Centre, which provides space and facilitates programming for Francophone artists and creatives in Moncton. Previously, he was the secretary general and later the president of the Société nationale de l’Acadie. He was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in December 2017, making him one of the longest serving directors on the current board.

Sandra Mason
Director
Toronto, Ontario
Current term: June 1, 2020–May 31, 2025

Sandra Mason is a chartered professional accountant with deep connections to the media industry. She was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at The Globe and Mail, and has served on the Board of the Canadian Press. She was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in June 2020.

Jennifer Rattray
Director
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Current term: February 5, 2018–February 4, 2023

Jennifer Rattray is the Chief Operating Officer of the Southern Chiefs' Organization, which represents 34 First Nation communities in Manitoba. She was previously the Executive Director of National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister with the Province of Manitoba. She was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in February 2018.

François R. Roy
Director
Montreal, Quebec
Current term: February 5, 2018–February 4, 2023

François R. Roy is a corporate director with connections to numerous companies and institutions, particularly in Canada’s media and financial sectors. He was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Quebecor, and later the Chief Financial Officer at Telemedia. He has also sat on the Boards of Société générale de financement du Québec and Scotiabank. He was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in February 2018.

Sandra B. Singh
Director
Burnaby, British Columbia
Current term: March 29, 2018–March 28, 2023

Sandra B. Singh is the General Manager of Arts, Culture and Community Services at the City of Vancouver and was previously the Chief Librarian of Vancouver Public Library. She has served in a variety of volunteer roles including as the Chair of Library and Archives Canada’s National Heritage Digitization Strategy Steering Committee and as President of the Canadian Library Association. She was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in April 2018.

William Tam
Director
Vancouver, British Columbia
Current term: June 1, 2020–May 31, 2025

William Tam is a technology executive and the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Digital Technology Supercluster in Vancouver. He has held numerous leadership positions in Canada’s innovation and technology sectors, including CEO of the BC Tech Association as well as senior roles at Rogers and Bell Canada. He was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in June 2020.

Marie Wilson
Director
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Current term: December 14, 2017–December 13, 2022

Marie Wilson is a reconciliation consultant and professor at the Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University. Previously, she served as a commissioner for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and worked as a CBC journalist in Northern Canada and in Quebec. She was appointed to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board in December 2017 and is one of the longest serving Directors on the current Board.

The Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC Board of Directors

In 2017, following pressure from FRIENDS, the Liberal government created The Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors to identify candidates for appointment to the Board. The Advisory Committee is comprised of nine members representing francophones from Quebec, Indigenous people, youth, and professionals from Canada’s broadcasting and cultural sectors. While they are supposed to be independent, Members of the committee are named by the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Additionally, the Chairperson and each Member of the Advisory Committee receive mandate letters from the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Advisory Committee Members

Tom Clark
Chairperson
Ontario

Tom Clark is a former broadcast journalist with over 40 years of experience in the industry. He was a fixture on CTV National News and later worked as chief political correspondent at Global. Clark is currently the Chair of Global Public Affairs, a communications and government relations consultancy.

Prem Gill
Member
British Columbia

Prem Gill is the CEO of Creative BC, whose mandate is to support the development and growth of British Columbia’s creative industries. She also sits on the Board of The Bell Fund, a private fund that finances digital content associated with Bell-owned television programs. Gill was previously the Director of Production and Original Programming at TELUS, and also worked in government and regulatory affairs.

Carolyn Warren
Member
Alberta

Carolyn Warren is Director General of Arts Granting Programs at Canada Council for the Arts. She was previously the Senior Arts Advisor at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and earlier in her career she was Regional Manager of Cultural Programs at CBC in Montreal.

Janelle Wookey
Member
Manitoba

Janelle Wookey is a Franco-Métis filmmaker and Co-Founder and Producer at Wookey Films. Her films and television productions have aired nationally in French, English, Cree and Méchif, and have been featured on CBC, Radio-Canada, APTN and at festivals like the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival. She also works as an on-air personality with APTN.

Colm Feore, O.C.
Member
Ontario

Colm Feore is an actor who has appeared in many notable film, television and stage productions in Canada and internationally. He is a veteran of the Stratford Festival and is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Pierre Trudeau in the 2002 CBC television miniseries Trudeau. His numerous film and television credits include Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Bon Cop, Bad Cop, and more recently The Umbrella Academy.

Marc Beaudet
Member
Quebec

Mark Beaudet is President of Turbulent, a creative firm specializing in web technology and content development in the fields of gaming and television. He also sits on the Board of La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec, a non-profit that nurtures and supports the development of Quebec’s video game industry.

Monique Savoie
Member
Quebec

Monique Savoie is the founder of the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT), a Montreal-based research and training centre that focuses on immersive technologies, virtual reality and high-speed networks. She is credited as a pioneer in the field of digital arts, and has led its development in Canada since the mid-1990s.

Alanis Obomsawin, O.C., G.O.Q., C.A.L.Q.
Member
Quebec

Alanis Obomsawin is a decorated documentary filmmaker and member of the Abenaki Nation. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has directed close to 50 films with the National Film Board of Canada that trace the lived experiences of Indigenous people. Among her most celebrated films is Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which tells the story of the 1990 Oka Crisis.

Éric Larocque
Member
New Brunswick

Éric Larocque is the Director General of the National Organization Committee for the IXe Jeux de la Francophonie 2021. Prior to this he was director general of the Congrès mondial acadien de 2019. He has won numerous awards for his work and dedication to Acadia and the Francophone cause.

Key People

Steven Guilbeault

Minister of Canadian Heritage

As Minister of Canadian Heritage, Steven Guilbeault holds the keys to the CBC/Radio-Canada. The Minister is the person ultimately responsible for the public broadcaster, and while he acts on the advice of an Advisory Council, he makes the final decision on appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors. In order to protect CBC/Radio-Canada’s independence, a body for appointing Directors should be entirely insulated from the Minister’s partisan influence.

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