Heritage Committee Calls CBC CEO to Testify on Executive Bonuses
CBC’s top boss has been summoned to a Commons committee to explain why executives received millions of dollars in bonuses while the organization is facing layoffs and budget constraints.
The House committee unanimously voted on Oct. 2 for CBC CEO Tait and board chair Michael Goldbloom to appear on Oct. 21 for questioning, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter.
CBC announced in December 2023 that approximately 600 CBC and Radio-Canada jobs would be eliminated and roughly 200 job vacancies left unfilled due to a $125 million budget shortfall. Tait provided testimony before the Heritage Committee on Jan. 30, stating that the CBC is facing “chronic underfunding” and has to “stretch limited resources to meet our mandate.”
CBC executives received a total of $14.9 million in bonuses for the fiscal year 2023. This included $3,020,021 in bonuses for all 46 network executives and $11,883,734 in bonuses for 1,140 managers, according to a government response released in May.
“After internal deliberations with the board of directors at our June meeting, once we’ve had a chance to present the audited financial statements, there will be a discussion and we will inform employees,” she said.
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During the committee meeting, Conservative MP Rachael Thomas accused Tait of dishonesty in her previous testimony, claiming that she had lied about the timing of the board of directors’ decision-making process. Tait clarified that a review of the fiscal year’s results would take place in June, following the conclusion of the fiscal year in April.
The Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, have pushed for defunding the CBC, which receives approximately $1.4 billion in federal subsidies annually. They accuse the public broadcaster of undermining private sector and independent media companies while providing content that is readily available in a competitive media marketplace.
The Liberals have characterized CBC as a cornerstone of Canadian identity that requires modernization. During the 2021 election, the government pledged $400 million over four years to reduce the broadcaster’s dependence on private advertising.
