Close X
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
ADVT 
National

CBC paid over $18 million in bonuses in 2024 after it eliminated hundreds of jobs

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Aug, 2024 10:58 AM
  • CBC paid over $18 million in bonuses in 2024 after it eliminated hundreds of jobs

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. paid $18.4 million in bonuses this year after hundreds of jobs at the public broadcaster were eliminated. 

Documents obtained through access to information laws show CBC/Radio-Canada paid out bonuses to 1,194 employees for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

More than $3.3 million of that was paid to 45 executives. 

That means those executives got an average bonus of over $73,000, which is more than the median family income after taxes in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. 

More than $10.4 million was paid out to 631 managers and over $4.6 million was paid to 518 other employees. 

The Conservatives said bonuses are "beyond insulting and frankly sickening," adding they come at a time when many Canadians are starving and facing homelessness. 

The board approved the bonuses in June, but it had been refusing to disclose how much was paid out. 

Members of Parliament have been asking for the figure since last December, when CBC announced it would be laying off employees to help balance its budget.

Ultimately 141 employees were laid off and 205 vacant positions were eliminated at CBC/Radio-Canada. 

CBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The public broadcaster has said the money is performance pay and counts toward some employees' total compensation, as stipulated by contracts that promise payouts when certain company goals are met.

In May, CEO Catherine Tait said it brings her "great frustration" that MPs refer to the payouts as a "bonus."

"A bonus, in my mind, is something that is given out on a discretionary basis," she said at House of Commons heritage committee meeting. "Performance pay is a part of the total compensation of an individual that is contracted or agreed upon at the beginning of their employment."

Nonetheless, its board acknowledged the negative optics of giving out bonuses during the same fiscal year that it made cuts, and has since launched a review of its compensation regime for future years.

Tait was called twice to the heritage committee in the last year to answer for cuts at CBC/Radio-Canada, and was interrogated by MPs over whether she would accept a bonus for the fiscal year that ended March 31. 

It remains unclear if Tait is among those who received a bonus. 

It's up to the Liberal government, not the board of directors, to approve any bonus for the CEO, unlike other CBC employees. The Canadian Press has asked Canadian Heritage for comment on that. 

"It is the height of smugness to see the CBC has awarded itself $18 million in bonuses with the $1.4 billion a year they receive from taxpayers to act as the mouthpiece for the Liberal party," Conservative MP and Opposition Heritage critic Rachael Thomas said in a statement on Monday. 

Thomas said CBC is "not worth the cost" while repeating the Conservative promise to defund the public broadcaster, and pledging to "turn the CBC headquarters into beautiful homes for Canadian families."

The CBC's editorial independence from government is enshrined in law.

MORE National ARTICLES

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles
Two men face more than a dozen charges each after British Columbia's provincial auto crime team recovered 29 high-end vehicles valued at $2.5 million. RCMP say in a news release that they started their investigation in February when numerous newer-model trucks and SUVs were stolen across the Lower Mainland.

Police in B.C. arrest two for theft of $2.5M worth of stolen vehicles

Drones, dogs, helicopters and ground crews search for missing mountaineers in B.C.

Drones, dogs, helicopters and ground crews search for missing mountaineers in B.C.
The search and rescue team in Squamish, B.C., says helicopters, groundcrews, drones and avalanche dogs are involved in the search for three mountaineers missing for nearly a week. A social media post by the team says the search resumed at 5:30 a.m. Thursday in the area on Mount Garibaldi where the trio was last seen on May 31.

Drones, dogs, helicopters and ground crews search for missing mountaineers in B.C.

Canadians mark 80th anniversary of D-Day as sun shines on Juno Beach in Normandy

Canadians mark 80th anniversary of D-Day as sun shines on Juno Beach in Normandy
The sun was shining on the beaches of Normandy on Thursday morning as a Canadian ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day got underway in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France.

Canadians mark 80th anniversary of D-Day as sun shines on Juno Beach in Normandy

Calgarians told not to have showers, baths after critical water main break

Calgarians told not to have showers, baths after critical water main break
Residents in Calgary are being directed not to take showers or baths and some are being told to boil their water as the city grapples with a major water main break. The city issued the warning just before the morning commute following the water main break in the city’s northwest.

Calgarians told not to have showers, baths after critical water main break

New fee for streaming companies serves Canadian interests at Americans' expense: U.S.

New fee for streaming companies serves Canadian interests at Americans' expense: U.S.
American streaming companies are being unfairly targeted by a new Canadian fee that "disproportionately" serves interests north of the border, the United States is charging. This week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission directed foreign streaming companies such as Netflix and Spotify to put five per cent of their Canadian revenues toward local news and Canadian content. 

New fee for streaming companies serves Canadian interests at Americans' expense: U.S.

Fire destroys sports store

Fire destroys sports store
Police in Metro Vancouver say a fire that destroyed a building used to store athletic equipment has been declared suspicious in nature. Delta Police say investigators have yet to identify any suspects in the blaze that occurred near a park in Tsawwassen early in the morning on May 17th.

Fire destroys sports store