THE Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday that CRTC Commissioner Raj Shoan, 39, has filed an application with Federal Court in Ottawa over allegations of harassment and raising questions about the authority of Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais. Including Blais, there are seven CRTC commissioners.
The newspaper says that the court filing suggests Shoan clashed with Blais and his senior staff concerning the extent of the chairman’s power over the commissioners.
The application alleges, among other things, that Blais was in the wrong “by repeatedly attempting to supervise and direct Commissioners, via CRTC staff, through the creation of internal procedures that were and are contrary to the CRTC Act.” It suggests that a dispute over this was the cause of the harassment complaint made last September by Amanda Cliff, CRTC executive director of communications and external relations.
None of the allegations has been proved in court.
The Globe and Mail pointed out that Shoan, who was appointed in July 2013, “has written several decisions challenging the commission’s majority rulings, dissenting on three occasions and concurring with the result but disagreeing with the majority in two other instances.”
Shoan denied the allegations of harassment in a statement to the newspaper. He said he hoped that the judicial review “will result in an objective assessment of the issues and a strong rebuke against a culture of control and the quashing of dissent within the CRTC.”
ACCORDING to Shoan’s official bio, “prior to his appointment to the CRTC, he served as the CBC / Radio-Canada’s Director of Regulatory Affairs. In this role, he led the Corporation’s participation in CRTC public hearings on various policy and regulatory matters, including the applications to renew the public broadcaster’s licences for its television and radio services.”
As Director of Regulatory Affairs at Astral Media Radio Inc. from 2008 to 2011, he ensured that the company’s radio and local television stations were compliant with the CRTC’s policies and regulations.
Between 2004 and 2008, Shoan gained expertise in the interpretation of the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act as a Senior Policy Analyst and Legal Counsel at the CRTC. In 2007, he was Senior Advisor to the Chairman.
“Shoan also worked as an analyst and lawyer at Industry Canada from 2002 to 2004, including as Legal Counsel for its Telecommunications Law Group. Among other responsibilities, he provided litigation support, interpretation and prosecutions under the Radiocommunication Act, interpretation of the Telecommunications Act, and conducted legal research and drafted legal opinions,” reads his bio.
His term ends in July 2018.
