A report recommending major changes for the National Capital Commission is "an acknowledgment of the exceptional work" the NCC has done, said the commission's chair.

Marcel Beaudry, who has led the NCC for 14 years, spoke at a news conference after the release Thursday of a study on the mandate of the commission, which is responsible for federal buildings and lands in the area surrounding Canada's capital.

NCC chair Marcel Beaudry said the commission has already discussed opening meetings to the public, but the Treasury Board recommends closed meetings for Crown corporations.
(CBC)

Beaudry denied that the report's call for changes to the executive structure and an end to secrecy were serious criticisms of his leadership.

"I don't think it's an indictment — far from it," he said, noting that the review panel recommends extending the mandate of the commission.

"I think this is an acknowledgment of the exceptional work that has been done over the years by the employees of the NCC," said Beaudry, who is stepping down as chair at the end of the month.

When Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon called for the review in April, he said one of its goals would be to determine whether the NCC is still pertinent and necessary.

Beaudry said he's confident the review will result in the government giving the NCC the policy framework and money it needs to do a better job.

Report  gives 'refreshing direction': Cannon

Beaudry said at least one of the recommendations has already been well discussed by the NCC's board.

The report asks the NCC to open its meetings to the public, a move already considered twice in the past 14 years, Beaudry said.

He added that Treasury Board guidelines recommend Crown corporation meetings be held in private.

Cannon said the review's recommendations could lead to greater openness at other Crown corporations.

"I can't tell you to date that that is the direction it [the NCC] is going to take, but I certainly think that it is a refreshing direction."

He said he will respond to the review panel's 32 recommendations early next year.

In August, Cannon appointed the three-member panel, led by University of Ottawa governance expert Gilles Paquet, to conduct the first review of the NCC in nearly two decades.

The panel released a 60-page report on the NCC after 100 days of research and consultation with experts and the public.

Some of its recommendations include banning the NCC from selling off public lands; separating the roles of the NCC's chair and CEO; and opening board meetings to the public.

The NCC is seeking a new chair to replace Beaudry, and is expected to narrow its search in mid-January.