CBC Eliminates Executive and Staff Bonuses, Boosts Salaries for Compensation

May 15, 2025 TruthUSA

CBC/Radio-Canada has revealed it will cease distributing millions in bonuses to executives and employees, opting instead to enhance salaries to “attract and retain the talent it needs for success.”

The public broadcaster’s board made the choice to abolish what it refers to as “performance pay” after consulting with president and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard, as mentioned in a statement issued by CBC on May 14 here. Nevertheless, salaries will be adjusted for affected personnel to ensure fair compensation.

“To maintain overall compensation at the current median level, adjustments will be made to the salaries of those impacted by the removal of individual performance pay,” the board noted in its statement.

This decision follows criticism directed at the CBC/Radio-Canada board for distributing over $18.4 million in bonuses to nearly 1,200 employees, including managers and executives, during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, despite laying off hundreds of staff.

An independent compensation review conducted by Mercer Canada was released last week, focusing on non-union employees, including senior executives. The report revealed that while CBC salaries are generally aligned with those of similar firms in the private sector, the bonuses faced “significant scrutiny.”

Mercer advised that if CBC chooses to eliminate its performance-based incentive system, it must ensure compensation remains at the “midpoint of the market.”

“Though CBC/Radio-Canada’s incentive benchmarks are generally conservative in relation to the market, completely eliminating incentives could lead to compensation falling below market standards,” the report indicated.

“CBC/Radio-Canada must ensure it doesn’t fall below market rates if it aims to retain and attract the skills and expertise necessary to fulfill its national mandate.”

The Epoch Times reached out to CBC for clarification on the new pay structure and its implementation date but has not yet received a response as of publication.

CBC Payouts and Funding

Opposition parties and governmental committees have recently criticized the public broadcaster for providing substantial bonuses to executives amid continued staff lay-offs.

The broadcaster allocated $18.4 million in bonuses to 1,194 employees for the fiscal year 2023-24, with over $3.3 million specifically received by 45 executives.

On average, executives received bonuses exceeding $73,000 each, a figure that surpasses the median family income after taxes for 2022, according to Statistics Canada.

More than $10.4 million was distributed among 631 managers, while approximately $4.6 million was shared with 518 other employees.

Former CEO Catherine Tait faced scrutiny from MPs during a parliamentary committee last year for not renouncing her potential bonus during a period of ongoing layoffs intended to balance the budget. She was called to testify before a parliamentary committee last fall regarding budget issues and expenditures.

This was not the first instance in which Tait was summoned to address a House of Commons committee. She previously testified following CBC’s announcement of around 600 job cuts and about 200 unfilled positions due to a $125 million budget deficit.

Tait stated to the Heritage Committee that CBC was experiencing “chronic underfunding” and had to “maximize limited resources” to deliver on its mandate. This was highlighted after CBC executives collectively received $14.9 million in bonuses for the fiscal year 2022-2023, with all 46 executives obtaining more than $3 million in bonuses and another 1,140 managers splitting $11.8 million.

The news organization is poised to receive $1.4 billion in federal subsidies for the fiscal year 2024-2025, an increase from the prior year’s $1.3 billion.

Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a plan during the federal election that includes increasing the public broadcaster’s budget by $150 million and updating its mandate.

A part of the overhaul aims to “fully equip” CBC/Radio-Canada to “combat disinformation, ensuring Canadians have a reliable news source,” according to Carney.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has long vowed to defund the CBC and transition it to a non-profit, self-sustaining model, although he indicated that funding for Radio-Canada would be maintained.

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