FORSETH – As Canadians count nickels and dimes, the CBC ponders bonuses

WHILE WATCHING The National the other night (Dec. 4, 2023) I listened as CBC president Catherine Tait announced the ‘public’ broadcaster will cut up to 10 per cent of its workforce, including 600 workers’ (in addition to not filling some 200 open positions) – as well as axing some programing.

All of this, Tait indicated, is the result of a $125-million shortfall the CBC is facing, which she said will result in cuts to both its English and French services.

While these cuts are apparently to be across the board, one plum area appears to be in question as to whether cuts will be applied to it.

What area you ask?

Bonuses!

According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation:

In the eight years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power, the number of CBC staffers taking home an annual bonus has more than doubled, rising from 546 in 2015 to 1,142 in 2022 – an increase of 109 per cent. 

And those bonuses, to 1,142 employees, cost the CBC (AKA taxpayers) just over $16 million last year alone — an average of $14,056 per person.

In early April of this year our national public broadcaster had the equivalent of just under 8,000 (7,960) employees – meaning just over 14 percent of the work-force received bonuses. Would it be safe to say that they went principally to management and executives?

When asked point blank (eight-minute mark), by The National’s Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault, whether bonuses would be in the works again for this year, CBC President Catherine Tait refused to answer.  Here’s how that part of their conversation went:

Arsenault: I’m just curious about something; I’m going to presume no bonuses this year … can we establish that’s not going to happen this year?

Tait: It’s too early to say where we are for this year. We’ll be looking at that, like we do all of our line items, in the coming months.

Arsenault: So there is a chance bonuses could still happen, at a time when jobs are being cut?

Tait: Again, I’m not going to comment on something that hasn’t been discussed at this point.

Millions of Canadians are counting nickels and dimes just trying to feed, house, and clothe themselves … and that’s the answer she gave?

I know I, certainly expected a different response.

With CBC eliminating jobs and cutting programming, Tait needs to come out and say flat out, ‘There will be NO bonuses to ANY CBC employee this year’.

In Kamloops, I’m Alan Forseth.

Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He was involved in the BC Liberal leadership campaign and is now a member of the BC Conservative Party.