On poor recruitment tactics

The CP reports on another possible casualty in the Cons' war on good government, as the CRTC is expected to have plenty of trouble finding a new chairman now that Industry Minister Maxime Bernier has shown his complete disinterest in listening to what the CRTC has to say:

The lineup of candidates wanting to fill the vacant position of CRTC chairman might be a short one this time around.

The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission is an arms-length agency in an arm-wrestle with the Conservative government over the country's broadcasting and telephone regulations...

"I would wonder whose self-respect would be so low that they'd be willing to be CRTC chair?" asks industry analyst Ian Angus of Angus Telemanagement.

"Why would you want to be chair of an independent regulatory body when the government has made it clear it will override you when it disagrees, unless you're only taking the job because you agree with the government's direction."

Sadly, that may well be the Cons' hope in taking such an aggressive line from the beginning. Presumably if the new applicants are self-selected based on the same reckless vision that seems to drive Bernier, then not only will Bernier have an easier time imposing his ideology while the Cons are in power, but the new chair would also have some clout in preventing any future governments of different political stripes from taking a more responsible view. Which would likely suit the Cons just fine - but would be more than a bit problematic for those of us who would prefer to see effective and independent regulators stay that way.