The term of the chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Ian Scott, will not be renewed by the Trudeau government when it expires in September. The federal government has already launched a call for candidates to replace him.
“Thank you to CRTC Chairman Ian Scott for his 5 years of service and hard work. As an independent regulator, the CRTC plays an essential role in the development of our systems of communication and support for culture”, published on Twitter the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez.
His message also relayed a job offer from the regulatory body for an executive position based in Gatineau, Quebec, at a salary starting at $211,300.
This announcement comes shortly after the launch of an investigation into Ian Scott by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Mr. Scott was the target of criticism from small Canadian internet service providers, who blamed him for a meeting in an Ottawa bar in December 2019 alone with the current CEO of Bell Canada, Mirko Bibic, who was the company’s chief operating officer at the time.
This renewal at the head of the CRTC comes just before major legislative changes that should considerably broaden its mandate.
Reform of the Broadcasting Act (C-11), currently before the House of Commons, makes it responsible for imposing “conditions of service” on any website that broadcasts “commercial broadcasts”. Critics of the project say it amounts to giving it jurisdiction over the entire Internet, including porn sites, which Minister Rodriguez denies.
In addition, Bill C-18, also tabled by the Liberals, would give the CRTC a “regulatory” role in the matter of revenue sharing between major platforms like Google and Facebook and the news media.