GATINEAU – In honour of Canada’s 150 birthday, the CRTC unveiled the names of 23 trailblazers that have helped shape the Canadian communications system. Representing a broad cross section of Canadian society, they come from the broadcasting and telecommunications worlds as well as science and journalism.
Well-known personalities such as Ted Rogers, founder of Rogers Communications, Israel (Izzy) Asper, founder of CanWest Global and Harold Greenberg, one of the founders of Astral Media made the list.
Jeanne Sauvé, Canada’s first woman Governor General and one of the first women to make a career in television, was selected. Also making the list was Judith Jasmin, a pioneer for Quebec journalism, was the first Canadian woman journalist to cover politics and international affairs. Barbara Frum, host of The Journal public affairs program on CBC, was chosen.
So too were multicultural and Aboriginal language broadcasters such as John Lombardi, founder of multilingual radio stations CHIN and CHIN-FM and Jose Kusugak from the Inuit Broadcasting Corp. recognized for their work in the Canadian communications system.
These are only a small sample of the outstanding people selected. A full list is below.
“As part of Canada’s 150th Anniversary, the CRTC is proud to honour entrepreneurs, inventors, public figures and great communicators who, each in their own way, have transformed the Canadian communications sector,” said Jean-Pierre Blais, chair of the CRTC (right).
The 23 people will have their names in history as 16 of the CRTC’s meeting rooms will be renamed in their honour.
Blais also announced that the Atrium at CRTC headquarters in Gatineau QC will be renamed in honour of the 
Commission’s first chair Pierre Juneau (Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien was one of the last journalists to interview him before his death in 2012). Juneau held the position from its creation in 1968 until 1975 and is considered the architect of Canadian content requirements.
Full list:
Jonah Kelly (1946-2012)
Jonah Kelly was the “voice of the Arctic”. From 1965 to 1997, he worked for CBC North, where he played a key role in the development of Inuktitut broadcasting to the country’s Northern communities. His unique style inspired a generation of Inuit broadcasters to give a voice to their culture.
Jose Kusugak (1950-2011)
A great defender of Inuit rights, language and culture in Canada, Jose Kusugak is recognized for his efforts to standardize the written Inuit language. He joined the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the Kivalliq region in the early 1980s. His work also took him to the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, where he raised Inuktitut broadcasting standards.
Henri Audet (1918-2012)
Henri Audet founded Cogeco, a Montreal telecommunications company, in 1957. The small screen was still in its early stages, and he wanted to be part of the adventure. Cogeco remained a major player in the field until its controlling interest in the TQS network, renamed V in 2008, was sold.
Harold Greenberg (1930–1996)
Harold Greenberg began his rise in 1967, when he acquired the exclusive rights to sell films on the site of EXPO 67 as well as photographic rights in the pavilions. He became president and manager of one of the biggest Canadian communications companies in television broadcasting, entertainment and retail: Astral Inc.
Jeanne Sauvé (1922-1993)
The career of the Right Honourable Jeanne Sauvé was marked with extraordinary “firsts”. She was one of the first women to make a career in television. On the political stage, she was the first Quebec woman elected to the federal Parliament, and the first woman speaker of the House of Commons. She was also the first woman to become governor general of Canada.
Marcel Masse (1936-2014)
Marcel Masse was a political player on both the Quebec and federal stages. At the federal level, he was named Minister of Communications in 1984, then of Energy, Mines and Resources in 1986. In 1989, he returned to Communications. As Minister of Communications, Marcel Masse was responsible for cultural policy in Canada, and he defended the country’s cultural sovereignty.
John Bassett (1915-1998)
John White Hughes Bassett was a Canadian editor and businessman. At the beginning of his career, he worked as a journalist at the Toronto Globe and Mail, and he served with the Canadian Army during the war in Europe, specifically in Italy. He then became the publisher of the Toronto Telegram, which he purchased in 1952 and ran until its demise in 1971. In 1960, he founded Baton Broadcasting, later called CTV.
Edward Samuel “Ted” Rogers (1933-2008)
Known for his determination and his advocacy of new technologies, Ted Rogers took risks in the broadcasting and telecommunications fields, which gave him a head start in many businesses. He founded Rogers Communications in 1967, which has become one of the largest media conglomerates in Canada.
Matthew Henry Halton (1904-1956)
Matthew Henry Halton paved the way for many journalists. He distinguished himself as a war correspondent during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Russo-Finnish War (1939-1940) and in the Middle East from 1941 to 1942. He was the senior war correspondent for the CBC during the campaigns in Sicily, Italy and North-West Europe.
Marcel Ouimet (1915-1985)
Marcel Ouimet became the first director of the Radio-Canada News Division in 1941. In the Second World War, he traveled Europe as a Radio-Canada correspondent. At the very heart of the conflict, he was the eyes and ears of Francophone America. With his tone and words painting vivid images, Marcel Ouimet had a unique way of describing events.
Foster William Hewitt (1902-1985)
On March 22, 1923, using an upright telephone, Foster Hewitt live-commentated one of the first radio broadcasts of a hockey game. Although this success led him to host a wide variety of sports and public-affairs events, his name is most indelibly associated with hockey, and with the expression, “He shoots, he scores!”
René Lecavalier (1918-1999)
“Et c’est le but!” [“And that’s a goal!”] René Lecavalier made his mark on the language of sports in Canada. From the first hockey game broadcast on television, which he commentated on October 11, 1952, until his retirement in 1985, he lived the frenzy of hockey and all the Stanley Cups. His enthusiasm and sobriety, his choice of words, and his vivid and moving descriptions were praised many times by his peers.
Barbara Frum (1937-1992)
Barbara Frum is a Canadian Anglophone journalist known for her rigour and her credibility. She started her career as a magazine freelancer while also working in radio, hosting As It Happens (CBC) from 1971 to 1982. She later hosted the public affairs program The Journal (CBC), where she interviewed the greatest personalities of her time, including Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela.
Judith Jasmin (1916-1972)
A true pioneer of Quebec journalism, Judith Jasmin was also the first Canadian woman to make her mark as a senior reporter and foreign correspondent. She was the first Canadian woman journalist to cover politics and international affairs. Her duties took her to Algeria, Cuba, Haiti, India, Israel and Peru to report.
John Lombardi (1915-2002)
John Lombardi was a pioneer in multicultural broadcasting. He began his career as a producer for an hour-long Italian music program. A champion of multiculturalism, he founded the multilingual radio stations CHIN in 1966 and CHIN-FM in 1967, which served over 30 ethnic communities in Toronto.
Jean-Louis Roux (1923-2013)
Jean-Louis Roux’s career spanned 70 years. In addition to making his mark as an actor and director, he played several roles in the cultural industry and on the political stage. He served as president of the Société des auteurs, president of the Centre canadien du théâtre, vice-chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Film Board of Canada, senator, Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec and chair of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Graham Spry (1900-1983)
Graham Spry was an important 20th century Canadian intellectual activist who worked as an editor, reporter, war correspondent, newspaper publisher, author, diplomat and corporate executive in Canada, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He is best remembered for his passionate activism in support of Canadian public broadcasting. In 1930, he co-founded the Canadian Radio League, a grassroots organization that advocated public control of the airwaves.
Réal Therrien (1926-1987)
Réal Therrien was a great champion of the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications system. In the course of his 20 years with the Commission he contributed greatly to the extension of community services, taking a particular interest in those who because of distance, disability or ethnic origin, were less well-served by the system.
Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
Alexander Graham Bell and his associates successfully flew the first powered aircraft, the Silver Dart, produced the fastest boat in the world, improved the phonograph, designed giant kites and invented the telephone. This invention was attributed to him in 1876 by the United States Patent Office.
Reginald Fessenden (1866-1932)
Reginald Fessenden was an inventor of communications technologies. In 1906, he achieved the first wireless transatlantic two-way transmission, communicating in Morse code between Brant Rock, Massachusetts and Machrihanish, Scotland; he also made the first public broadcast of music and voice. By 1930, he had over 500 patents and broadcasting based on his AM wave technology had become widespread.
J. Alphonse Ouimet (1908-1988)
In 1932, J. Alphonse Ouimet helped design, build and demonstrate the first Canadian prototype of a television receiver. He then joined the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, later the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, becoming its general manager in 1953 and its president in 1958. Under his leadership, the national television service was established in both official languages.
Nancy Devine
Nancy Devine worked at the CRTC from 1973 to 2010. She spent most of that time in the Legal Sector, where she was an assistant to the Commission’s senior general counsel for 18 years. When she retired, to celebrate her years of excellent service, the legal counsels named this room after her.
Israel Harold Asper (1932-2003)
Mr. Asper had careers in law, politics and the communications industry. In 1977, he founded the CanWest Global Communications Corporation. When he resigned from his position as Executive Chairman of the Board in the late 1990s, he devoted his time to several charitable organizations, and was able to fulfil his dream: the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Pierre Juneau (1922-2012)
Pierre Juneau played a key role in Canadian communications. After holding important positions like Director of French-Language Production at the NFB, he was appointed as the first Chairman of the Canada Radio and Television Commission, position he held until 1975. In 1971, the Canadian music awards were named the Juno Awards in his honour. His contribution as an architect of Canadian-content regulations is equal to his support for the emergence of a dynamic cultural industry.
