Federal government refuses to say whether it approved CBC director’s bonus – National
The Liberal government refuses to say whether it has approved a prime for the head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporationas opposition Conservatives demand answers and New Democrats call for a ban on bonuses.
It is up to the federal government to approve a bonus for Catherine Tait following an evaluation of his performance and a recommendation from the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors.
The CBC referred questions to the federal government. Canadian Heritage, which oversees the Crown corporation, then referred questions to the Privy Council Office, which supports the cabinet and the prime minister.
Citing privacy laws, a spokesperson for the Privy Council Office said he could not release details, although some of the information from past years has been made public.
In May, Tait told the House heritage committee that she last received a bonus for the 2021-22 fiscal year and had not yet received performance pay for the 2022-23 fiscal year, information also available on the CBC’s website.
Tait’s salary range is $468,900 to $551,600, with the government setting her bonus at between 7% and 28% of her salary, if she meets certain criteria.
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Opposition Conservatives want Tait to return to the parliamentary hot seat and provide answers about the bonuses.
CBC/Radio-Canada’s board of directors recently approved more than $18.4 million in bonuses for nearly 1,200 employees, managers and executives for the 2023-24 fiscal year after cutting hundreds of jobs.
The Privy Council Office would not say whether the council recommended a bonus for Tait, or whether the federal government gave its approval.
“Clearly, Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government are content to hand out massive, multi-million dollar taxpayer-funded bonuses to CBC executives and their hand-picked CEOs amid declining viewership and increasing irrelevance, as long as they remain good servants to their masters and continue to act as the propaganda arm of the Liberal Party,” heritage critic Rachael Thomas said in a statement Wednesday.
The CBC’s editorial independence from government is enshrined in law.
Twice in the past year, Tait has been called before the heritage committee to answer questions about cuts to CBC/Radio-Canada, and has been questioned by MPs about whether she would accept a bonus for the fiscal year that ended March 31.
The New Democrats have not said whether they want Tait to return to the Canadian heritage committee, but they have accused the Liberals of failing to protect jobs at the public broadcaster and “failing to rein in the greed of CBC executives.”
They also criticized the Conservatives, saying that while the Conservatives want to defund the CBC, the NDP would improve it.
“Our public broadcaster provides an invaluable service to Canadians. It is also accountable to Canadians,” NDP heritage critic Niki Ashton said in a statement.
“So it’s time to ban the CBC from paying executive bonuses and use that money to save local journalism.”
In June, the broadcaster’s board publicly acknowledged the negative impact of awarding bonuses in the same financial year in which it made budget cuts, and has since launched a review of its remuneration scheme for the coming years.
Between December 2023 and March 31, the end of the last fiscal year, CBC/Radio-Canada eliminated 346 jobs within the organization by laying off 141 employees and eliminating 205 vacant positions.
Committee members unanimously concluded in a report to the House of Commons earlier this year that given the job cuts, it would be inappropriate for the CBC to award bonuses to senior management.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
