The chairman of Canada Post’s board of directors is coming to the defence of the crown corporation’s president, saying the Liberal government should not ask Deepak Chopra to renounce the early renewal of his mandate by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet.

In a letter to Government House Leader Dominic Leblanc and Judy Foote, minister of public services and procurement, Siân Matthews says the early renewal of Chopra’s mandate was in keeping with best governance practices and in the best interest of Canada Post.

“Responsible governance of a corporation with revenues of almost $8 billion dollars and one of the largest workforces in Canada, of 65,000 people, requires stability and appropriate succession planning for its leadership,” Matthews wrote in a copy of the letter sent to iPolitics.

“We respectfully ask you to withdraw the December 7, 2015 letter. Responsible leaders, like Mr. Chopra, who commit to public service in this great country, should be celebrated, and not shamed.”

As president and CEO of Canada Post, Chopra earns a salary ranging between $445,400 and $523,900 a year.

Matthews’ letter comes after Leblanc sent a letter to 33 people who received appointments or renewals of appointments in the final days of Harper’s government. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Leblanc called the future appointments and “abuse of process.” He has called on the appointees to voluntarily renounce the appointments by December 18 and, if they wish, reapply for their appointment in a more open and transparent appointments process.

Leblanc’s letters came after iPolitics revealed that Harper’s cabinet quietly stacked government agencies and crown corporations with 49 “future appointments,” and early appointment renewals in the final weeks of its regime. While some had been due to come up for renewal in November and December, others were renewed up to a year in advance of when they had been scheduled to expire and made effective the date the appointees’ current term was due to end.

Two of the 49 appointees have already said they will renounce their renewals.

In Chopra’s case, the Harper government renewed his mandate in July for five years, effective February 1, the day his mandate had been scheduled to expire.

In an interview with iPolitics, former Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, who oversaw Canada Post, said the government renewed the appointment early at the request of Canada Post’s board of directors.

In his letter, Matthews says the early renewal follows guidelines recommended by Canada’s auditor general in 2009, suggesting that the government should advise incumbents of full time positions whether they plan to renew their appointments six months in advance.

“Mr. Chopra’s re-appointment was managed by the Privy Council Office with the support and direction of the Board of Directors in accordance with best governance practices,” Matthews wrote. “The timing of the renewal is consistent with the Standing Committee recommendations.”

Matthews said Chopra was appointed in 2011 following an open, international search and the board has been satisfied with his performance.

“During his tenure at Canada Post, Mr. Chopra has received solid performance reviews from both the Board of Directors and the Government of Canada. His thoughtful leadership has been instrumental in changing Canada Post into a modern post, meeting both the needs of Canadians and our statutory obligation to be financially self-sufficient.”

“Canada Post has faced tremendous pressure to adapt to a new business model that addresses a world of declining mail volumes and increased electronic communication. Mr. Chopra’s leadership, however, has not been solely remedial- he has championed and re-energized our e-commerce parcel business, where we are fully competitive in the market. Our volumes and revenues in the parcels business have consistently grown by over 8% a year.”

Matthews letter does not mention that in November, Canada Post reported a loss before tax of $20 million for the first three quarters of the year.

A spokesman for Leblanc said he is not prepared to discuss individual cases.

[email protected]