Contractor Holds Two Top Jobs at National Gallery of Canada
Tania Lafrenière
A key official who holds two top management positions at the National Gallery of Canada is an independent consultant entitled to bill some $300,000 a year in fees, according to documents obtained through access to information.
The documents identify Tania Lafrenière, the gallery’s human resources director and interim chief operating officer, as the contractor. She reports directly to Angela Cassie, who has been the Ottawa gallery’s interim CEO since former director Sasha Suda left last summer to lead the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The documents, which Galleries West obtained Wednesday, show that Lafrenière, brought onto the gallery’s team by Suda in early 2021 as senior vice-president of people, culture and belonging, initially had a short-term contract that was then renewed for longer durations.
She was hired at the same time as Cassie, who became vice-president of strategic transformation and inclusion, with responsibility for overseeing completion of a strategic plan that aimed, in part, to create “a diverse and collaborative team” and to “centre Indigenous ways of knowing and being.”
An announcement at the time said Lafrenière had 20 years of experience in human resources management, including senior roles at CBC-Radio Canada, Groupe Nordik, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.
The Globe and Mail, which broke the story Thursday, quoted David Chow, the gallery’s director of communication, as saying Lafrenière’s fees are in line with market rates and that she oversaw 118 hires, the creation of a conflict-resolution process and negotiations for a new contract with the Public Service Alliance of Canada. He also said the gallery is looking for a full-time human resources director. The Globe also quoted management experts who expressed concern over the concentration of power and the length of the contract.
The gallery has been in the news since November when it forced the departures of four senior managers, including deputy director Kitty Scott, and Indigenous curator Greg Hill, who aired his grievances publicly on Instagram and in media interviews.
Meanwhile, a report released Wednesday by an influential museums organization, the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art, said the gallery "poorly managed" the decolonization process that Suda launched soon after her appointment in 2019.
