Next CEO at Canadian Museum of History may not be fully bilingual: sources

The candidate favoured by the federal government to take the reins of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., is already proving controversial due to questions about their ability to speak French, Radio-Canada has learned.

The museum's board of directors were sharply divided when they recently voted to approve the candidate, whose identity has not been released, sources with knowledge of the process told Radio-Canada.

The museum has been without an official leader since CEO Mark O'Neill resigned in April, two months before his planned retirement date.

O'Neill had been the subject of a workplace harassment investigation following complaints about his temperament and his management style.

The investigation wrapped up in January and was submitted to Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. It has not been made public.

In its job posting, the federal government said it would take both bilingualism and diversity into account, and that fluency in both official languages would be preferable.

Guilbeault told Radio-Canada in a French-language statement that the federal government was committed to reflecting "Canada's diversity in terms of linguistic, regional and employment equity (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities), as well as members of diverse groups."

According to two of Radio-Canada's sources, O'Neill's potential replacement comes from a diverse background, but their bilingualism did not impress the board of directors.

In addition to the board's approval, cabinet also has to approve the hiring.

"When we have news to share about its outcome, there will be a public announcement," museum spokesperson Bill Walker told Radio-Canada in an email.

"Meanwhile, all internal discussions about this and other board matters are subject to strict legal confidentiality."

Big tourist draw

Located on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, the museum is one of Canada's most important and among the country's top tourist attractions, drawing more than one million visitors annually before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close its doors.

If the candidate is approved, it would not be the first time that the Trudeau government has chosen a candidate who is not fluent in both official languages ​​to lead one of the country's main cultural institutions.

In 2019, the government chose Sasha Suda to lead the National Gallery of Canada, located on the other side of the river in Ottawa.

Suda said at the time that she was going to take French lessons, and gave herself five years to become perfectly bilingual.