Catherine Tait, CBC/ Radio-Canada CEO, responded to questions from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage members on May 7, 2024. 

The Canadian Media Guild is pleased that CBC/Radio-Canada has received a $42 million injection from the federal government to help the corporation manage this year without further job cuts. 

This funding addresses the job cuts CBC/Radio-Canada announced in December 2023, when it was set to cut 600 jobs, allow 200 more vacancies to remain unfilled, and cut $40 million from productions to avoid a projected $125 million shortfall in the 2024-25 fiscal year. 

In total, CBC/Radio-Canada has eliminated 205 vacant positions and laid off 141 employees since December. The resulting reduced workforce places an increased burden on CMG workers to deliver all the services CBC/Radio-Canada offers to Canadians.  

The CMG calls on the Canadian Government to provide a stable funding process for CBC/Radio-Canada so our members who work for the public broadcaster can continue to create content that reflects Canada in all corners of the country, in both official languages and eight Indigenous ones, under fair working conditions. 

Members of the committee also asked Tait about the updates on CBC/Radio-Canada executives receiving bonuses. Tait clarified that the public broadcaster uses performance pay based on key indicators to attract and retain non-unionized management employees. The CMG believes that all employees, unionized and non-unionized, should be paid fairly for the work that they perform. 

The CMG hopes that the Canadian government will continue to prevent further job loss at the public broadcaster while it reviews its funding process. The current financial model is not viable, and the 346 positions lost at CBC/Radio-Canada since December are 346 too many! Reducing the public broadcaster’s workforce reduces its ability to fulfill the mandate given by Ottawa on behalf of Canadians.