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This is the latest salvo in an ongoing clash between Blais and Shoan, who has repeatedly questioned Blais’ leadership and has said the consolidation of power under the chairman is a threat to the integrity of the CRTC.

Prior to this dispute and in response to a complaint, Blais instigated a third-party investigation that found Shoan had harassed a CRTC employee via email. Shoan previously filed a notice of application for a judicial review of how Blais has responded to the findings of the third-party investigation.

In a statement published Friday, Shoan said: “In my view, this ‘council of equals’ is being jeopardized by unilateral decision-making by the chairperson of the CRTC in contravention of existing CRTC bylaws. It is my hope that, through this review, a fair, balanced and independent governance structure will be restored at the CRTC.”

CRTC spokesperson Patricia Valladao declined to comment directly on the case. She said that the CRTC holds an average of 400 decisional meetings each year and issues 700 decisions, adding that Shoan – one of nine commissioners – has served on 16 public or non-appearing panels since he was appointed in 2013. That is “considered a fair number,” she said. “But there’s many other (commissioners) to be in panels.”

“To effectively manage the workload, the CRTC’s chairperson has been appointing commissioners to be a part of those panels since the 1970s,” Valladao said Friday. She said he was authorized to make these appointments by a clause in the CRTC Act that states that “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.”