Head of Winnipeg-based Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp. fired by federal government

The head of Canada's Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp. has been fired for actions that are "fundamentally incompatible with his position," according to an Order in Council from the federal government.

Donald Salkeld, who had been president of the Winnipeg-based Crown corporation since December 2014, had already been on leave since March, when he was told an independent investigation would be conducted "into allegations and concerns raised in complaints about his conduct as president," the release states.

No details on the alleged actions were released by the government.

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On Nov. 4, Salkeld was sent a copy of the final investigation report along with a letter from the minister of Fisheries and Oceans. In the letter, Dominic LeBlanc expressed concerns with the findings that Salkeld's actions "appeared fundamentally incompatible with his position."

LeBlanc offered Salkeld the opportunity to provide information in his defence before a decision was made regarding his job.

Termination effective Wednesday

The Governor in Council has since considered Salkeld's submissions and the correspondence by LeBlanc and concluded that Salkeld's actions are fundamentally incompatible with his position "and that he no longer enjoys the confidence of the Governor in Council."

His termination was made effective on Wednesday.

Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp., which is located in an office in Transcona, buys, processes and markets all freshwater fish caught for commercial sale in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.

In August, the Manitoba government told the federal government it would be withdrawing its participation from the marketing agency in order to "create flexible marketing options for commercial fishers in the province." 

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John Wood, a former president of the corporation, has been serving in the role while Salkeld was on leave. There is no word on whether or not Wood will be formally appointed to the position.