In her third appearance before the Commons Heritage Committee Monday, CBC President Catherine Tait faced intense questioning about $18.4 million in performance pay distributed to 1,194 employees after meeting performance indicators for 2023-2024. Tait defended the bonuses while refusing to forgo her own exit package when she leaves her position in January.
Conservative MPs criticized the use of taxpayer money for executive bonuses, with MP Damien Kurek calling it “unbelievable” and noting that some executive bonuses exceed the annual earnings of many Canadians. Unlike most CBC employees, Tait’s performance bonuses require Ottawa’s approval, and she confirmed she hasn’t received word from the federal government about her 2022-2023 or 2023-2024 payments.
When pressed to reject potential bonuses and severance upon her departure, Tait declined, saying that Canadians would expect the corporation to honor its commitments to non-unionized employees as it does for unionized staff. She characterized her exit package as “a personal matter” and accused committee members of attempting to discredit both her leadership and the organization.
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Related: CBC Approves Staff Bonuses Despite Job Cuts And Criticism From Parliament
Tait also defended charging the CBC nearly $6,000 in expenses, including $4,000 for hotel costs during the Paris Olympics. She explained she personally covered flight expenses as she was already on holiday in France, and only claimed working days at the official Olympic hotel.
While a recent $42-million government funding injection helped balance this year’s budget and prevent 800 previously announced job cuts, the resolution is temporary. The broadcaster had warned of a $125-million projected shortfall for the fiscal year. During Tait’s tenure, 90 positions were eliminated, significantly fewer than in the previous decade, but she warned of potential future layoffs without additional funding.
Quebec television executive Marie-Philippe Bouchard is reported to be poised to take over as the new head of CBC/Radio-Canada in January, according to Le Devoir newspaper.
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