Feds unsure of costs for CBC ‘modernization panel’ stacked with ex-staff
‘The feds wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to figure out why the CBC is failing, but they could have saved that money and asked a random person at Tim Hortons,’ said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
A CBC modernization panel, stacked with former CBC employees, has cost taxpayers more than $200,000 to date. Total costs are expected to rise as their mandate is ongoing.
Costs tabulated to date include “$70,000 (plus taxes)” paid out to panel members, $83,000 for a private firm to do research and prepare briefing papers, up to $28,000 for “facilitation services” and $13,000 for translation services, according to records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
Panel members such as Marie-Philippe Bouchard, Jennifer McGuire and Loc Dao all previously worked for the CBC, while Jesse Wente is a former CBC contributor.
David Skok, editor-in-chief of The Logic, was the only participant to decline payment for his participation in the panel.
“The feds wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to figure out why the CBC is failing, but they could have saved that money and asked a random person at Tim Hortons,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director.
“If the CBC wanted to build trust with Canadians, here is a place it could start: stop paying millions in bonuses to executives,” he added.
"We want a strong public broadcaster for decades to come": Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge defends the Trudeau Liberals' decision to increase CBC's funding despite firing employees and doling out almost $15 million in bonuses last year.https://t.co/7sRrlShnQP pic.twitter.com/L4uRFGOLxN
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 18, 2024
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge launched the seven-person panel to get advice on the future of the CBC, including the amount of taxpayer money it takes. Canadian Heritage told CTF that panel costs are expected to increase further.
The panel has yet to hold public consultations, according to access-to-information records obtained by the CTF. “If the government is looking for a predetermined outcome, it could do it for a lot less than $200,000,” Terrazzano said.
Those figures conflict with access-to-information records the department provided to the CTF, which puts panel costs at more than $280,000.
“We do not yet know the total and final costs of the project, given that the [panel] process is still ongoing,” Canadian Heritage said in a written statement that it took two weeks to compile to explain the discrepancy.
“The government could have saved itself all this confusion, paperwork and money by asking any of the millions of Canadians who know why the CBC is failing,” Terrazzano said.
“The only modernization plan the state broadcaster needs is three words long: defund the CBC,” he added.
'The CBC did in fact hand out taxpayer-funded bonuses in 2023, costing you dear taxpayer, $15 million,' said Franco Terrazzano of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 20, 2024
FULL REPORT by @EzraLevant: https://t.co/gQ1ThnZNQG pic.twitter.com/OTpCnbRVRH
The Taxpayers Federation previously launched a legal challenge against the CBC for not disclosing senior executive bonuses. The network replied “no comment” to an inquiry by Rebel News.
CTF filed an access-to-information request seeking details on the compensation paid out to the CBC’s seven senior executives in 2023, including bonuses. The broadcaster has yet to disclose bonus pay for seven senior executives.
The network handed out $15 million in bonuses to 1,143 staff last year despite announcing hundreds of layoffs and requesting even more money from taxpayers.
Network President Catherine Tait testified at a parliamentary committee on May 7, but did not know if bonuses had been issued at the time. She did not rule out further executive bonuses.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) filed a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner after the CBC refused immediate disclosure of bonuses for senior executives. https://t.co/S3cR0aLELh
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) May 8, 2024
Canadians overwhelmingly oppose the $18.4 million in bonuses CBC staff received this year.
“Canadians don’t support the government wasting our money paying out big bonuses to CBC executives,” Terrazzano said.
“If Tait isn’t willing to do the right thing and cancel the bonuses, then the heritage minister, finance minister or Trudeau must step in and end the CBC’s taxpayer-funded bonuses,” he added.
Bonuses owed to CBC staffers have cost taxpayers $132 million since 2015.
The CBC will cost taxpayers $1.4 billion this year.
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