Lavish CBC bonuses unpopular among seven-in-10 Canadians

The Canadian Press / Nathan Denette

A poll conducted by Leger on behalf of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation found that nearly 70 percent of all Canadians oppose the $18.4 million in bonuses the CBC is paying out this year.

“The results of the poll are crystal clear: the vast majority of Canadians don’t support the CBC paying out bonuses with our tax dollars,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “This poll should be a wake-up call for CBC President Catherine Tait and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that these taxpayer-funded bonuses must end.”

In all, the CBC’s bonuses have cost taxpayers $132 million since 2015.

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The Leger poll asked Canadians if they support or oppose the CBC paying out more than $18 million in bonuses this year.

The poll showed that 69 percent opposed CBC bonuses while 16 percent supported them. 15 percent said they did not know.

Among those who are decided on the issue, 81 percent of Canadians oppose the CBC bonuses.

“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.”

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The CBC will cost taxpayers $1.4 billion this year.

Even the advocacy group Friends of Canadian Media questioned the bonuses although they believe “Canadians deserve a strong and vital CBC.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard about CBC/Radio-Canada’s decision to award $18 million in bonuses, just months after the announcement of significant job cuts,” said Marla Boltman, Executive Director of Friends of Canadian Media, in a recent newsletter. “This decision is deeply out of touch and unbefitting of our national public broadcaster.”

Documents show that CBC/Radio Canada paid out bonuses to 1,194 employees in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with more than $3.3 million of that being paid to 45 executives, for an average of $73,333.33 to each. That total is higher than the median family income after taxes in Canada in 2022, according to data from Statistics Canada.

More than $10.4 million was paid out to 631 managers. More than $4.6 million was paid to 518 other employees.

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Although the board approved the bonuses in June, it has consistently refused to reveal the amount disbursed, despite members of Parliament requesting this information since last December. This comes after the outlet received $1.27 billion in taxpayer funding in fiscal year 2023, up slightly from the year before.

The CBC would go on to lay off 141 employees and cut 205 vacant positions.