Paul Mathias Tellier, PC, CC (born 1939) is a Canadian businessman and former public servant. Born in Joliette, Quebec, Tellier was educated at Laval University and the University of Oxford.[1]
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Tellier entered Canada's civil service in the 1970s. He rose through the ranks of the federal bureaucracy through several high-profile deputy minister portfolios and culminating as the nation's top civil servant from August 12, 1985 to June 30, 1992, when he was Clerk of the Privy Council, in the Privy Council Office of Canada, during Brian Mulroney's administration. Mulroney reduced Tellier's role as Clerk between 1986 and 1989, when he appointed Dalton Camp as his personal Deputy Minister.[1]
In 1992, Tellier left the civil service and was appointed by Mulroney as President and CEO of the Crown corporation, CN Rail. Tellier was a driving force behind the successful privatization of the company in 1995 and was widely seen as being the principal instigator behind CN's purchase of Illinois Central, which saw the company expand its focus from an exclusively east-west orientation into a north-south one. As such it was one of the first companies to reap the benefits of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Following a failed bid to merge CN with BNSF Railway in 2000, Tellier led CN Rail through the purchase and integration of Wisconsin Central. He also was responsible for hiring a management team and focused on making CN a "scheduled" freight railway, largely by promoting former Illinois Central president, Hunter Harrison, to a vice-president position at CN.
In January 2003, Tellier stepped down from CN, (Harrison assumed the presidency of the company) to take a three-year posting as the President and CEO of Bombardier. This was largely seen in the Canadian business community as an attempt by Bombardier to turn itself around following several lacklustre years of growth in the aerospace and passenger rail vehicle markets. Tellier oversaw Bombardier and sold its recreational vehicle production to the Beaudoin family, Bombardier's majority shareholders. Tellier also made several major cuts in the workforce and attempted to adjust and refocus the company on its core business activities. On December 13, 2004, it was announced that Tellier was leaving Bombardier, after he told the company that he did not want to stay for the full three years of his contract. Tellier also serves as an executive on the board of directors of Bell Canada and Rio Tinto Alcan.[2]
In 1992, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.[2] In 2004, the second St. Clair Tunnel was named in his honor.
Since November 2006, Paul Tellier has served as joint chairman on the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service of Canada. This Committee gives advice to the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council on the renewal of the Public Service, with the objective of shaping it into an institution geared to excellence, distinguished by highly-engaged and highly-skilled people performing critical tasks with professionalism and efficiency.
In October 2007, he was appointed by Prime Minister Harper to a panel responsible for reviewing Canada's mission in Afghanistan.
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ronald E. Lawless |
President of Canadian National Railway 1992 – 2002 |
Succeeded by E. Hunter Harrison |
| Preceded by |
President of Bombardier 2003 – 2004 |
Succeeded by Laurent Beaudoin |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Robert D. Krebs (ATSF) and Gerald Grinstein (BN) |
Railroader of the Year 1997 |
Succeeded by David R. Goode (NS) |
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