Sheila Bautz
Special to the Herald
Last week, the Government of Saskatchewan made changes to the Crown Investments Corporation’s (CIC) Board by shifting current members while appointing new board members.
“Our government sincerely appreciates the leadership and service that each Crown board provides to their respective corporation,” said Jeremy Harrison, Minister of the Crown Investments Corporation. “Many of the outgoing board members have served for multiple terms in their current role and have helped to lead initiatives that have truly benefited Saskatchewan people.”
A holding company, the CIC is responsible for managing Saskatchewan’s commercial Crown Corporations. The amalgamation of Crown Corporations includes SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, SaskWater, Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan, and Saskatchewan Government Insurance. As such, CIC is responsible for a variety of areas pertaining to these corporate entities.
The implementation for the Crown Board renewal is fundamental for achieving and maintaining what the Saskatchewan government defines as sound governance practices. As such, the CIC provides guidance for the Saskatchewan Crown Corporations through their direction. This is intended to ensure that the representatives from the Crown sectors on the board enforce an alignment with the Saskatchewan government and caucus priorities in each sector.
The CIC’s purpose includes providing direction to the Crown sectors on how to implement the current government initiatives, use of funding and the ability to meet the requirements set by the government for public policy programs. The provincial government requires that the Crown sectors create a return for Saskatchewan residents through initiatives and incentives. This provides a higher standard and quality of life for the residents of the province while producing financial results that support a balanced budget.
Another responsibility of the CIC is to ensure that every Crown corporation demonstrates disclosure, transparency and accountability with a strong governance. The selected board members have a responsibility to serve and ensure that the Crown Sector Strategic Priorities are fulfilled. This requires that they align with the Saskatchewan government’s goals and priorities of affordability, reliability, economic growth and strong financial management.
“The oversight role of Saskatchewan’s commercial Crowns directly contributes to the province’s strong economy and a bright future for the people of Saskatchewan,” said Harrison. “The individuals appointed today have the skills, knowledge and abilities to perform these duties as effectively as past board members have.”
The recent changes in the current 66 board members result from a combination of board renewals and expirations of existing terms for members of the Crown corporation’s board. Twenty-four board members remained in their current positions through being reappointed. There are 15 new members joining the Crown Board. Five board members are transitioning from their current appointments in one area and into an entirely new Crown sector.
For evaluation purposes, the Crown Board members who are departing leave their skills, expertise and knowledge to the individuals who are potential reappointments or redeployments of other government boards.
