The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Radio-Canada board of directors has greenlit performance bonuses for select employees, despite recent job cuts and opposition from Members of Parliament. This decision, announced on the broadcaster’s website, affects 1,194 eligible staff members for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
While the exact amount of the payouts remains undisclosed — the company has released information about bonuses in previous years under access-to-information law — CBC spokesperson Leon Mar said that this information is part of internal financial operations. The public broadcaster maintains that these bonuses are contractually obligated performance pay, tied to the achievement of specific company goals.
The board acknowledged the controversial nature of awarding bonuses during a period of financial strain and workforce reductions. In response to public concern, they have committed to a third-party review of the compensation system, including performance pay, for future years. It’s unclear how much this third-party review would cost.
This decision comes in the wake of significant cuts at CBC, including 141 layoffs and the elimination of 205 vacant positions. The broadcaster previously announced plans to cut 600 jobs and reduce production costs by $40 million to address a projected $125 million shortfall.
CBC CEO Catherine Tait faced scrutiny from parliamentary committees regarding potential bonuses in December. While it remains unclear if Tait herself accepted a bonus, MPs concluded that granting bonuses to executives would be inappropriate given the recent job cuts.
Related: CBC President Doesn’t Rule Out Bonuses for Executives Despite Cutting 600 Jobs
The broadcaster also says that its financial outlook has since improved following the job cuts and other cost-cutting measures, as well as the $42 million it received from the federal budget. In May, Tait told the heritage committee that the shortfall of $125 million they had estimated for 2024-25 had been reduced to just $20 million.
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