Ottawa, ON – Rachael Thomas, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canadian Heritage, and Luc Berthold, Conservative Deputy House Leader, released the following statement after Catherine Tait refused to be straight-forward with Canadians about the CBC’s intent to give bonuses to executives, including herself:
“Yesterday, the CBC’s CEO, Catherine Tait, said that she, and other executives, deserve a bonus after presiding over one of the most disastrous periods in the state broadcaster’s history. When Tait was asked whether she personally deserved a bonus she said, ‘absolutely yes.’ Last year, the CBC awarded their staff $16 million in taxpayer-funded bonuses. This year’s bonuses for executives like Tait are still on the table.
“As a direct result of Tait’s incompetence, the CBC’s viewership has been cut in half since she took over as CEO in 2018. They have failed to produce the content Canadians want to consume, forcing the broadcaster to fire 600 people in December and leave another 200 positions vacant.
“The CBC’s dramatic drop in ratings has occurred in spite of the $1.27 billion they received from taxpayers in the 2023 fiscal year. Now the CBC is dropping even more programming, becoming less relevant to Canadians every passing day.
“Despite this abysmal performance, Tait refused to be straightforward with Canadians and clarify whether she, and other executives, will receive massive taxpayer-funded bonuses in March, conveniently telling the Heritage Committee that ‘I don’t think I or anybody on the management team should be evaluated based on market trends.’
“It’s never been more clear that Catherine Tait and the CBC is widely out of touch with Canadians. In spite of Tait’s embarrassing testimony, the Liberal-NDP coalition blocked a common sense Conservative motion compelling the CBC to provide the Heritage Committee with a list of all executive bonuses paid for 2023. The Liberal-NDP coalition continues to cover for Tait while she slashes 800 jobs. Common sense conservatives will bring home accountability to Ottawa.”