Mandate letter for the members - Independent Advisory Committee for Appointment to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors

Sir/Madam:

I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for your participation in the Independent Advisory Committee for Appointments to the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors earlier this year. Your dedication to this process, in both time and effort, is much appreciated. I have reviewed the Advisory Committee’s advice letter and final report with great interest. As a result of your recommendations, board vacancies will be filled and a roster of qualified candidates established for future consideration. I am confident that the new appointees will make remarkable contributions to our national public broadcaster.

Your continued role as a member of the Independent Advisory Committee to find the next President of CBC/Radio-Canada will benefit the process greatly due to the expertise you have gained in selecting Directors. Thank you in advance for your work to come. Your term is for a period of six months, with the possibility of extension, effective December 1, 2023. This should allow sufficient time for the completion of an open, transparent, and merit-based Governor in Council selection process to identify high-quality candidates for consideration of appointment as the next President of CBC/Radio-Canada before the incumbent’s term ends on January 2, 2025.

Like last time, the Advisory Committee is composed of nine other members. The Chairperson, Charles Décarie, is empowered to organize the work in whatever way the committee sees fit to allow for an effective, efficient, and smooth process. Its mandate and expectations are outlined in the enclosed Terms of Reference for the Independent Advisory Committee.

The Committee will be guided by published, merit-based criteria to identify Canadians who could lead CBC/Radio-Canada into its next chapter and reflect its ongoing transformation to become more local, more digital, and more ambitious in its Canadian programming, while remaining true to its mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain. During the selection process, the Committee will be supported by a Secretariat within the Department of Canadian Heritage.

In making your selection, I would ask that you consider the desire for Governor in Council appointments to achieve gender parity, ensure that Indigenous and other equity-deserving groups are properly represented, and support our commitment to official languages.

Following the selection process, I ask that the Advisory Committee submit for my consideration a list of names of qualified candidates to create a roster from which to draw. In compiling this list, I also ask that you observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity, and objectivity in your consideration of all candidates.

Within three months of the conclusion of the appointment process, the Advisory Committee will be required to provide me with a report, in both official languages, that contains information on the process, including on the execution of the terms of reference and statistics relating to the applications received. In addition, the report may provide recommendations for improvements to the process. This report will be made public.

As you will appreciate, this process is sensitive and I expect that all information received in relation to candidates, as well as any discussions and proceedings undertaken by the Advisory Committee, will be kept strictly confidential during the process and after the Committee has concluded its work. A confidentiality agreement to this effect is enclosed for you to review, sign and return.

Once again, thank you for your commitment to this important task and for agreeing to be part of the Independent Advisory Committee to find the next President of CBC/Radio-Canada. I look forward to receiving your recommendations at the conclusion of your deliberations.

Please accept my best wishes.

Sincerely,

The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, P.C., M.P.