She worked as deputy commissioner for digital enforcement and intelligence
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced the appointment of competition and digital expert Leila Wright as executive director of telecommunications.
Wright was the deputy commissioner for digital enforcement and intelligence, specializing in data analytics, intelligence, and behavioural economics. She started her career practising competition law and commercial litigation at a national law firm in 2007. She joined the Competition Bureau in 2013 and has held several senior executive roles.
Before taking on the deputy commissioner role, Wright was the associate deputy commissioner for policy, planning and advocacy. She led significant initiatives to promote competition, including in the telecommunications industry. She has also directed a comprehensive study of Canada's broadband industry and led the competition bureau's participation in several CRTC proceedings.
Wright holds a law degree from the University of Toronto and degrees in political studies and life sciences from Queen's University.
CRTC chairperson and chief executive officer Vicky Eatrides commented, "I'm pleased that Leila has accepted this senior leadership position at the CRTC. Her deep experience in competition and telecommunications will be a tremendous asset as we work to deliver tangible results for Canadians."
Eatrides also acknowledged the upcoming retirement of former executive director Fiona Gilfillan and thanked her for her outstanding contributions to public service during her impressive career. Gilfillan was appointed executive director of telecommunications in November 2021.
The CRTC is a regulatory agency responsible for overseeing Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, ensuring they serve the public interest. The commission recently launched a public consultation to enhance the resilience and reliability of Canada's telecommunication networks. Frequent outages that interrupt crucial telecommunications networks triggered this public consultation. The CRTC has invited Canadians to comment on the requirements for reporting major service outages until March 24.
The CRTC expects to launch additional consultations, which might examine measures to enhance network resiliency, access to emergency services, consumer communication and compensation, the impact of outages on accessibility services and the imposition of penalties on service providers.
