The senior vice-president of French services at Radio-Canada, Michel Bissonnette, is leaving his position.
The information first relayed by The sun was confirmed by the public broadcaster on Tuesday morning in a very brief press release. This resignation takes effect immediately.
Michel Bissonnette had been in office since January 2017. He managed all French-language programming, both on TV, radio and on the web. Radio-Canada did not provide further details on the reasons for this sudden departure, which took everyone by surprise.
The president of CBC / Radio-Canada, Catherine Tait, laconically praised the work of Michel Bissonnette. “I would like to thank Michel Bissonnette for his contribution, for nearly 7 years, to strengthening the role of Radio-Canada at the heart of French-speaking culture across the country,” she indicated in a press release.
In recent months, it was common knowledge that the French-speaking heads of Radio-Canada did not share the same positions as Catherine Tait on the use of the “N-word” on the air, in particular.
Michel Bissonnette is one of the most important figures in the television industry in Quebec. In 2000, he co-founded Zone 3, today one of the largest production companies. He was also involved in the Quebec Liberal Party for a long time.
Dany Meloul, general director of Television de Radio-Canada, will act in the interim, while waiting for Michel Bissonnette’s successor to be found.
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