Pierre Poilievre promises to axe CBC after board approves bonuses

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Conservative chief Pierre Poilievre has renewed his pledge to “defund the CBC” after the board of administrators for CBC and Radio-Canada has authorised bonuses for some employees for work they did in the latest fiscal yr.

The transfer, which was confirmed Monday, got here amid outcry that 1,194 eligible workers working for the general public broadcaster would obtain bonuses in a yr when 141 workers have been laid off and 205 vacant positions have been eradicated.

“I can’t wait to defund the CBC and sell off the headquarters for housing,” Poilievre wrote in a post shared to X together with a hyperlink inviting his followers to a hyperlink calling on the Liberals to finish subsidies to the state broadcaster.

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“We the undersigned call on the Liberal government to defund the CBC,” the petition reads. “Whereas the CBC undercuts private sector and independent media and competes for advertising space while receiving more than $1 billion in direct taxpayer subsidies. And whereas the CBC mostly provides opinions and coverage that are widely available in a free and competitive media marketplace. Therefore, be it resolved that we call on this Liberal government to defund the CBC to save taxpayer dollars and ensure a free and competitive press in the Canadian media landscape.”

Poilievre’s put up generated over 23,000 likes and a whole bunch of supportive feedback. “This is the best thing you’ve ever said,” one fan wrote, with one other cheering on, “We can’t wait!”

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On Monday, the Canadian Press reported that bonuses will be paid regardless of members of Parliament saying it will be inappropriate to accomplish that after a whole bunch of jobs have been eradicated.

“The board and the senior executive team acknowledge the views expressed by some that performance pay should not be awarded at CBC/Radio-Canada in times of financial pressures and associated workforce reductions,” the board mentioned in a letter dated June 25.

In response, the board, which might not touch upon how a lot cash was being paid to the 1,194 eligible workers, mentioned it will be assessing future compensation preparations.

“This review will be conducted by a third-party human resources consulting firm, and recommendations to the board will be shared with the public,” the board promised.

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Last December, the CBC mentioned it deliberate to minimize 600 jobs, remove 200 vacancies and slash $40 million from its manufacturing price range to assist mitigate a projected $125-million shortfall. This regardless of the Liberals handing over $1.38-billion to the general public broadcaster in 2024-25 (which is a major uptick from the $1.29 billion the CBC bought for 2023-24).

But CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Catherine Tait, whose annual compensation ranges between $472,900 and $623,900, cried poor saying the general public broadcaster was woefully underfunded, although it shelled out $14.9 million in bonuses in 2022-23.

“At $33 per Canadian — a dime a day — CBC/Radio-Canada is one of the worst-funded public broadcasters in the world, with four times less funding than the U.K. and France and eight times less than Germany,” Tait mentioned. “Until that situation changes, we must continue to manage with what we have and do our very best to stretch limited resources to meet our mandate.”

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Poilievre has lengthy maintained that if elected prime minister, he’ll finish funding to the CBC.

“Almost everything the CBC does can be done in the marketplace these days because of technology,” he informed True North host Andrew Lawton final yr, whereas providing to hold funding in place for some French-language content material.

“I would preserve a small amount for French-language minorities, linguistic minorities, because they, frankly, will not get news services provided by the market,” Poilievre mentioned on the time.

At a rally in Toronto earlier this year, Poilievre taunted the broadcaster when he promised to flip the CBC’s headquarters in downtown Toronto into much-needed housing.

“We’re going to sell off 6,000 federal buildings and thousands of acres of federal land to build, build, build,” he mentioned. “And you know something, it warms my heart to think of a beautiful family pulling up in their U-Haul to move into their wonderful new home in the former headquarters of the CBC.”

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With a federal election nonetheless over a yr away, Poilievre is making the defunding of the CBC a primary promoting level. 

Last yr, data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute indicated that one-third of Canadians need to see the CBC’s funding minimize off.

“Common-sense Conservatives will defund the CBC and we will restore balance for small, local, and independent voices in the media that have been crushed after nine years of Justin Trudeau,” said Sebastian Skamski, the director of media relations for Poilievre.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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