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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been warned that more than 200 senior jobs need filling across the federal government, including dozens in key leadership and oversight roles.
In a memo to the prime minister shortly after the Liberals won re-election last fall, officials said there were 220 so-called governor-in-council appointments that needed to be made immediately and another 360 that are set to expire by the end of 2020.
Federal records show Trudeau’s cabinet has since appointed or re-appointed people to at least 16 such positions, but others have expired or fallen empty.
The list of empty seats today includes everything from positions at the Canadian Dairy Commission and Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety to Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. and the federal auditor general.
The auditor general’s office raised concerns in December about delays in key appointments, noting the government had failed to name new directors to the boards of more than a dozen Crown corporations.
The watchdog warned that such boards are essential for providing oversight and direction to taxpayer-funded corporations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2020.
The Canadian Press
