Despite his brief stint on the board of directors of the Canadian National Railway Company (CN), Jean Charest did not leave empty-handed: the former Quebec premier got around $70,000 for a little more than two months of work.
Moreover, in the wake of the language crisis that rocked the railroad established in Montreal last year, the latter decided to reveal the “linguistic skills” of its administrators. CN had been strongly criticized for the absence of Francophones in its management team – a situation that has been corrected.
“Our Board renewal work continued in 2022 with the appointment of Michel Letellier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Innergex, effective October 1, 2022,” the company wrote in its circular sent to shareholders ahead of its April 25 annual meeting.
Mr. Charest joined the Montreal-based rail carrier’s board of directors on January 25, 2022. He resigned just over two months later, on April 1, to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, where he bowed.
The former politician earned cash compensation of $21,410 and earned equity awards totaling $47,577 during his brief tenure. It is unclear whether Mr. Charest attended a board meeting.
Mr. Letellier is still the only Francophone among the 11 proposed CN directors. Two other directors, American Justin Howell and Albertan Susan Jones, are fluent in French, according to the document filed with regulatory authorities on Wednesday.
This means that they can chat in the language of Molière, specifies the railway. This brings to three the number of directors who speak French. CN’s President and CEO, Tracy Robinson, continues to learn the language.
The rail carrier is expected to welcome a new director: the former president and CEO of Enbridge Al Monaco. This one is English speaking.
In office since February 22, 2022, Ms. Robinson was entitled to a total compensation package – which takes into account base salary, bonuses and other benefits – of 13.7 million last year. This factors in a base salary of about $980,000, a bonus of $2 million, and awards and stock options of $10 million. His predecessor, Jean-Jacques Ruest, who remained in office as an advisor until March 31, 2022, was entitled to a salary of $980,000.
CN and Air Canada – two companies subject to the Official Languages Act – have just registered with the Office québécois de la langue française.
