Concordia receives letter from Quebec education minister
Concordia received a letter today from Quebec Education Minister Line Beauchamp notifying the university of her concerns related to severance payments that were made to a number of senior management personnel in recent years.
We understand and share her concerns. For that reason, on March 2, the Board unanimously adopted a resolution mandating a review of human resources processes for senior management. The review, to be conducted by an external audit firm under the auspices of the Board’s Audit Committee, will examine the processes and practices that were used in recent years with respect to senior management personnel who departed before the end of their contracts or with whom the university wished to end its contractual obligations.
We will not hesitate to implement any changes resulting from this review that improve our human resources practices for senior management.
In her letter, the Minister also announced the imposition of a $2 million fine on the university. We take note of the Minister’s decision and will act in accordance with our responsibilities.
I would like to assure our community that Concordia is committed to prudent fiscal management and fully supports the external review of our human resources processes for senior management.
Frederick Lowy
President and Vice-Chancellor