Organization Profile - Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

Minister of Canadian Heritage

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission shall consist of not more than 13 members, to be appointed by the Governor in Council.

A member shall be appointed to hold office during good behaviour for a term not exceeding five years but may be removed at any time by the Governor in Council for cause.

A member is eligible for reappointment.

A member shall devote the whole of his of her time to the performance of his or her duties.

The Governor in Council shall designate one of the members to be Chairperson and two of the members to be Vice-Chairpersons.

The Chairperson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, has supervision over and direction of the work and staff of the Commission and shall preside at meetings of the Commission.

In the event of the absence or incapacity of the Chairperson or if the office of Chairperson is vacant, the Commission may authorize one of the Vice-Chairpersons to exercise the powers and to perform the duties and functions of the Chairperson.

The Commission may authorize one or more of its members to act as Chairperson if the Chairperson and both Vice-Chairpersons are absent or unable to act or if the office of Chairperson and each office of Vice-Chairperson are vacant.

A person is not eligible to be appointed or to continue as a member of the Commission if the person is not a Canadian citizen ordinarily resident in Canada or if, directly or indirectly, as owner, shareholder, director, officer, partner or otherwise, the person:

• is engaged in a telecommunications undertaking; or
• has any pecuniary or proprietary interest in:
• a telecommunications undertaking; or
• the manufacture or distribution of telecommunications apparatus, except where the distribution is incidental to the general merchandising of goods by wholesale or retail.

The members of the Commission shall reside in the National Capital Region as described in the schedule to the National Capital Act or within any distance of it that may be determined by the Governor in Council. If a regional office of the Commission is established, a member of the Commission who is designated for that region by the Governor in Council shall reside in that region and within any distance of that regional office that may be determined by the Governor in Council.

Pursuant to subsection 12(2) of the CRTC Act, the members and the Chairperson shall exercise the powers and perform the duties vested in the Commission and the Chairperson, respectively, by the Telecommunications Act or by any special Act within the meaning of that Act.

A person is not eligible to be appointed or to continue as a member of the Commission if the person is not a Canadian citizen ordinarily resident in Canada or if, directly or indirectly, as owner, shareholder, director, officer, partner or otherwise, the person is engaged in a telecommunications undertaking; or has any pecuniary or proprietary interest in a telecommunications undertaking; or the manufacture or distribution of telecommunications apparatus, except where the distribution is incidental to the general merchandising of goods by wholesale or retail.  A member in whom any interest prohibited vests by will or succession for the member's own benefit shall, within three months thereafter, absolutely dispose of that interest.

A majority of the members in office constitute a quorum of the Commission.