GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TERMINATES APPOINTMENT OF VIA RAIL PRESIDENT AND CEO

News Release

No. GC 002/04 For release March 5, 2004 OTTAWA - On behalf of the Government of Canada, Transport Minister Tony Valeri today announced the termination of the appointment of Marc LeFrançois as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VIA Rail Canada Inc. The termination of the appointment of Mr. LeFrançois takes effect immediately. "Senior federal appointees managing public funds must be held to the highest standards of conduct and performance," said Mr. Valeri. "This government is committed to ensuring those high standards are respected." On February 24, 2004, the Government of Canada suspended Mr. LeFrançois without pay after the Auditor General's Report raised serious concerns about transactions involving VIA Rail and the Government of Canada's sponsorship program. At that time, Mr. LeFrançois was invited to demonstrate by March 1 why his appointment should not be terminated. Mr. Valeri received a written submission from Mr. LeFrançois March 1 and subsequently met with him on March 4, and as a result of the review of the response and the meeting, brought forward a recommendation. "After careful consideration, we've determined in light of the finding of the Auditor General's report, a change is necessary at the highest levels of VIA management in order to restore public confidence, and therefore we have taken action," said Prime Minister Paul Martin. Mr. Valeri also announced today that the Government of Canada has appointed Mr. Paul Côté, VIA Rail's current Chief Operating Officer, to the position of President and CEO on an interim basis. A permanent replacement will be nominated in due course and will be subject to parliamentary review. - 30 - Contact: Christina Van Loon Office of the Minister, Ottawa (613) 991-0700 Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada. This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.

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2016-12-15

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GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TERMINATES APPOINTMENT OF VIA RAIL PRESIDENT AND CEO

News Release

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