Tory patronage-watch: what the release doesn't say

In am indebted to Daniel L'Heureux and his Radio-Canada colleagues for flagging and confirming the following information, which is not included in this press release about a new appointment to the Board of Directors for TV5...

Patrick Clune is a Conservative. He ran for the Conservatives as a candidate in the riding of Saint-Lambert, Québec three times (2004, 2006 and 2008.)  He is the son of Conservative Senator Andrée Champagne.

He will be in good conservative company on this board. Marie-Linda Lord has also been re-appointed. She is the sister of former New Brunswick Conservative Premier Bernard Lord.

The press release in full:

Appointment to the Board of Directors of TV5 Quebec Canada

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Nov. 27, 2009) - The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced the appointment of Patrick J. Clune as a representative of the Government of Canada on the Board of Directors of TV5 Quebec Canada.

"Mr. Clune brings an in-depth understanding of the technological evolution that the Canadian broadcasting industry is facing today," said Minister Moore. "I am confident that his creative talent and management skills will be tremendous assets for the Board of Directors and will contribute to the success of TV5 Quebec Canada."

Since 1983, Mr. Clune has acquired a vast experience in television, where he started as a self-employed assistant cameraman on such films as Quest for Fire. He held several creative positions in television production and advertising and is now the owner of Digital Cut Post-Production, a video post-production facility for the film and broadcast industries.

He has directed a number of projects, including Passe-partout, a well-known program for children on Tele-Quebec, and Octo-giciel, a computer learning program. He has also led important production projects for Just for Laughs and Cirque du Soleil and has worked with TVA, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, advertising agencies, and documentary filmmakers. The work of Digital Cut Post-Production has been shown to the world on channels such as CBC/Radio-Canada, TFO, Tele-Quebec, Channel Five (UK), Galaxie / M6 (France), National Geographic, Bravo, and the USA Network.

Mr. Clune is a graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto. He studied in the Motion Picture Studies program, where he won the 1982 CBC Telefest Best Film Short Award. The film was later screened at both the Montreal and Toronto Film Festivals. Mr. Clune has been a partner of the Festival international des films sur l'art since 2004.

Minister Moore also announced the reappointment of Marie-Linda Lord as a representative of the Government of Canada on the Board of Directors of TV5 Quebec Canada. Ms. Lord is a full professor in the Information-Communication Program and holds the Chair in Acadian Studies at the Universite de Moncton.

TV5 is the world's largest French-language international television network. It is managed by two operators: TV5MONDE, in Paris, is responsible for broadcasting nine TV5 signals around the world; and TV5 Quebec Canada, in Montreal, manages its own signal in Canada. TV5 Quebec Canada offers Canadians a cross-section of the international Francophonie and contributes to Canada's international profile by providing Francophone Canadian artists and producers with a special showcase abroad. TV5 is broadcast in close to 200 countries, reaching more than 200 million homes in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, the United States, Mexico, and Canada.