CBC chairwoman quits post early by Finbarr O'Reilly

by Finbarr O'Reilly

Guylaine Saucier, chairwoman of the CBC board of directors, has resigned four months before the end of her term, the public broadcaster announced yesterday.

Ms. Saucier, who oversaw staff downsizing and structural re-organization during her five-year term, left the CBC to ''pursue increased duties'' as chairwoman of the Toronto Stock Exchange's joint committee on corporate governance, the CBC announced in an internal memo to staff. The TSE established the committee in July to review how Canada's companies are run.

The resignation, effective Dec. 8, is the latest to hit the CBC. In April, Phyllis Platt, CBC's executive director of arts and entertainment, announced she was leaving the corporation. That resignation came within days of the announcement that Ira Basen, the executive producer of This Morning, CBC Radio's flagship show, was leaving that program to take up other CBC duties.

"Yes, it came as a surprise, but her term was to be ending in March of next year so it's just shortening what we expected," said Pierre Sauvé, director of external communications for the CBC.

"It was widely reported that [Ms. Saucier] clashed with Perrin Beatty when he was president and I understand that there's been quite a bit of tension between her and the current president, Robert Rabinovitch," said Ian Morrison, spokesman for Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, a pro-CBC lobby group.

"That might be a partial explanation for her early departure."

The chairwoman of the CBC's board, which includes Mr. Rabinovitch, the CBC's president and CEO, is appointed by the Prime Minister. Ms. Sauvé informed the Prime Minister of her resignation on Friday.

No replacement has been chosen, said Mr. Sauvé. "We don't know if they'll be appointing next week," he said, "but if there's no appointment by Dec. 9, the CBC president becomes the acting chairman."

Calls to Ms. Saucier's Montreal and Ottawa offices and to the TSE were not returned last night.

A native of Noranda, Que., Ms. Saucier is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. From 1975 to 1989, she was president and CEO of Le Groupe Gérard Saucier Ltée, a major forestry-products company. She also sits on the boards of several major Canadian corporations, including Petro-Canada, the Bank of Montreal and Nortel Networks. She was the first woman appointed president of the Quebec Chamber of Commerce. She became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1989.

Mr. Morrison said the government should consult with CBC board members when appointing a successor.

"It's important that the government ensure that the next appointment is somebody who is compatible and part of the team because it's not good for the corporation for there to be ongoing tension between the chief executive officer and the chief elected officer."

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