Tories ‘considering all options’ on CRTC size, vacancies

The Conservative government is “considering all options” related to the size of the CRTC and the filling of upcoming vacancies, Heritage Minister James Moore said. “We’re considering all options and haven’t made up our mind yet,” Moore said on Parliament Hill Thursday, when asked by The Wire Report whether the government would consider reducing the commission’s size. “Of course, we look at our appointments all the time,” he said when asked whether the government had begun the process of identifying potential candidates. In January, several experts told The Wire Report that expiring terms for nine of the 13 CRTC commissioners before the end of 2013 represented an opportunity to reduce the size of the commission. They said a smaller commission may encourage commissioners to take on a greater diversity of files, lead to more consistent policy decisions, and speed up commission decisions. Since that time, former commissioners Rita Cugini and Michel Morin left the commission after their terms expired in April and August, respectively. Neither has been replaced. Len Katz, the commission’s vice-chair of telecom who served as acting chair from January to June, will leave the commission effective Oct. 11. A CRTC official confirmed that Katz’s term is ending and will not be renewed. Jean-Francois Mezei, a consultant with Montreal consulting firm Vaxination Informatique, said in a phone interview that Katz did not seek a term renewal. “It was his own personal decision,” Mezei said, citing commission sources. This year, the Conservative government undertook a six-month search to select Jean-Pierre Blais as the commission’s new chair. He replaced outgoing chair Konrad von Finckenstein. The government posted a job vacancy for that position approximately two weeks before von Finckenstein’s term expired Jan. 24. The Prime Minister’s Office announced Blais’ appointment on June 8. The government undertook a six-month search to find a replacement for Michel Arpin, the former vice-chair of broadcasting, following the expiration of his term in August 2010. The search culminated in the appointment of Tom Pentefountas as vice-chair of broadcasting in February 2011. Only the federal cabinet can appoint new commissioners to the CRTC. Five additional commissioners' terms are set to expire in 2013: Timothy Denton on July 31, Suzanne Lamarre on June 29, Marc Patrone on March 18, Louise Poirier on Aug. 10, and Stephen Simpson on June 22. In December 2011, shortly before her term was set to expire on Jan. 6, 2012, the Harper government extended commissioner Candice Molnar for an additional five years. nkyonka@thewirereport.ca --- CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the government can allow commissioners to appoint a vice-chair.

Tories ‘considering all options’ on CRTC size, vacancies

Broadcast | September 20, 2012

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Tories ‘considering all options’ on CRTC size, vacancies

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