BACKGROUND
- The Minister of Transport is responsible for one of the largest appointments portfolios in the Government of Canada with over 300 Governor in Council (GiC) and Ministerial appointments. All appointments are based on open, transparent, and merit-based selection processes intended to reflect Canada’s diversity.
- For both GiC appointments (those requiring Cabinet approval) and Ministerial appointments, (those requiring approval only from the Minister), notifications of the opportunity are posted publicly. Candidates are reviewed and assessed using a standardized set of selection tools (written tests, interviews and reference checks) by a committee, and the Minister is provided with a shortlist of candidates who have qualified based on merit.
- As GiC appointments require Cabinet approval, the Privy Council Office (PCO) is engaged in all steps of the process. Each Notice of Appointment Opportunity, including selection and eligibility criteria, is posted on the central GiC appointments website, in addition to being distributed through other channels to maximize outreach to Canadians. In addition to the PCO Chair, selection committees for GiC processes include representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Office of the Minister of Transport, and Transport Canada, as well as chairpersons for some crown corporations.
- Ministerial appointments follow a similar open, transparent, and merit-base selection process, but without involvement from PMO or PCO. Notices of Appointment Opportunity are posted on Transport Canada’s website in addition to being broadly distributed through other means. Selection committees include only representatives from the Office of the Minister of Transport and relevant groups within Transport Canada.
- Transport Canada is responsible to provide a list of qualified candidates to the Minister for Ministerial appointments. In the production of this list, the selection committee considers the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the appointment duties. Depending on the nature and location of the position, linguistic profiles may be considered. For example, bilingualism is considered when identifying individuals as the possible chairperson of Tribunals or Agencies in the Transport Portfolio.
- Best practices are actively integrated into the development of the selection tools and by all members of the selection committee when assessing applicants. Transport Canada provides statistics concerning the gender parity and diversity of selections and boards, including information concern linguistic duality.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CN
- Since the 1995 passage of the CN Commercialization Act, CN is no longer a crown corporation, and Transport Canada does not have a role in appointments to its board of directors.