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Sir John Aird

Sir John Aird, banker (b at Longueuil, Canada E 15 Nov 1855; d at Toronto 30 Nov 1938). Aird, the president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, is best known for his role as chairman of the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting that reported in 1929.

Sir John Aird

Sir John Aird, banker (b at Longueuil, Canada E 15 Nov 1855; d at Toronto 30 Nov 1938). Aird, the president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, is best known for his role as chairman of the Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting that reported in 1929. He joined the bank in 1878 and rose to become president in 1924. Mackenzie KING's government put him at the head of the broadcasting royal commission in 1928, and Aird's report recommended that a public body regulate private broadcasters and air its own programs. The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, the forerunner of the CBC, came into existence in 1932 as a result.