Canadian Heritage Min. Pascale St-Onge has confirmed the appointment of Marie–Philippe Bouchard as CBC/Radio-Canada’s next President and CEO.
Appointed for a five-year term, effective Jan. 3, Bouchard’s appointment had been widely rumoured since last week when Quebec media outlets, including Radio-Canada, reported she was in line for the job.
Bouchard has served as President and CEO of francophone public broadcaster TV5 Québec Canada since 2016, overseeing the TV5 Unis channels and platforms, in addition to presiding over TV5 Numérique, TV5MONDE’s partner in establishing international French-language platform TV5MONDEPlus.
Prior to joining TV5, Bouchard held management and executive positions at CBC/Radio-Canada in legal services, strategic planning, regulatory affairs, and digital services, most recently as Director General of Radio-Canada’s music services. She is a member of the Québec Bar, holding a master’s degree in public law from the Université de Montréal, and sits on a number of boards, including the Festival international de Lanaudière, and serves as chair of the management board of the Université de Montréal’s Centre for Research in Public Law.
Fluently bilingual, she’ll be the first francophone woman to serve as President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada.
“Marie-Philippe Bouchard is a talented, strong public broadcasting leader with a proven record of transformation,” said St-Onge, in a Canadian Heritage announcement. “As the next President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, she brings a wealth of experience to this pivotal time for our cultural and information ecosystem, as well as a solid background in organizational culture and change leadership. In a critical time of modernization, I am confident that Ms. Bouchard will provide a steady hand and be a positive guiding force for Canada’s national public service media now and into the future. I want to thank the Independent Advisory Committee, which played a crucial role in this process. I would also like to thank Catherine Tait for her work and passion for CBC/Radio-Canada as a vibrant, creative and inclusive force during her tenure as President and CEO.”
“Public service media all around the world serve as a precious public asset,” added Bouchard. “As society changes at a fast pace, so must our public broadcaster, continuing to build trust in order to remain relevant to all Canadians. With my experience serving audiences both at TV5/Unis TV and CBC/Radio-Canada, I look forward to this challenge and to working together with all Canadians, including the CBC/Radio-Canada team, Canadian content creators and other partners, to chart the path forward. Our national public broadcaster brings us and our understanding of one another closer together despite massive distance. CBC/Radio-Canada is our place for discovering and sharing stories that embody Francophone, Anglophone and Indigenous cultures, on a range of innovative platforms. Our national broadcaster provides us with trustworthy news and information, highlights our creativity and offers us perspectives that enrich our lives, right here in this place we call home.”
Bouchard succeeds Catherine Tait, who has been in the President’s role since 2018. Initially appointed to a five-year term, her tenure was extended by 18 months in spring 2023.
