Canada Post board rejects Liberal government’s request for Chopra’s resignation

Canada Post’s Board of Directors has rejected a request from the recently-elected Liberal government that Deepak Chopra should “voluntarily choose not to serve” his term of re-appointment as President of Canada Post. To give some background to this story: on Monday (7 December) House Leader Dominic LeBlanc wrote to more than 20 cabinet appointees asking them to decline early reappointments to new five-year terms which they had received from the former Conservative government in June.

The letters, written on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that the government is committed to establishing “an open, merit-based appointments system for governor-in-council appointees with greater access to all Canadians.

According to local sources, the government is also seeking the resignations of the heads of the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian Museum of Nature and Telefilm Canada, as well as appointees at Via Rail, the National Energy Board and the Immigration and Refugee Board.

The Canada Post Board of Directors, however, has come back with a strong rebuttal.

In a letter sent to LeBlanc yesterday (10 December), Canada Post’s Chairperson Sian Matthews wrote: “Mr. Chopra was appointed President of Canada Post on February 1, 2011 through a process managed by the Privy Council Office of the Government of Canada.

“The rigorous selection process for this role included an international search conducted by a leading executive search firm. It was advertised publicly, competitive and merit-based. Several high-quality candidates from around the world were considered by the search committee, which included senior members of the Privy Council Office, members of the Board of Directors of Canada Post and senior officials of the Department of Transportation. Mr. Chopra was the unanimous choice of that selection committee.”

Matthews went on to explain why Canada Post believed that Chopra’s achievements thus far have vindicated his appointment: “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 concluded her letter by saying: “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.”