Minister of Heritage Pascale St-Onge (Brome—Missisquoi) has refused to rule out offering another large taxpayer-funded bonus to CBC’s outgoing executive, Catherine Tait, said Conservatives on Thursday.

Tait's pay range is $468,900 to $551,600, according to CBC.

"With possibility of a bonus if certain criteria are met."

Average CBC executive pay is said to be around $224,395 a year.

Filings with the United States’ Federal Election Commission indicate Tait donated to the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton in 2016, said a report by True North as complaints swirled of left-wing bias at CBC.

CBC, which employs around 7,500 people, shelled-out $18.4 million in bonuses, including $3.3 million awarded to 45 executives — $73,000 per executive — more than the average yearly salary for Canadians. The corporation is receives around $1.4 billion per year from taxpayers.

“In Toronto, more than one in ten residents are having to rely on food banks just to survive, while families are having to spend $700 more on groceries this year,” said Conservatives.

“But life for Trudeau-appointed CBC executives has never been so good. Even without these bonuses, Catherine Tait is already the highest-paid CBC executive in Canadian history, earning over half a million dollars in her base salary."

A 2022 study by AllSides returned a bias rating of “lean left” for the CBC. A panel gave an overall rating of “lean left” while a reviewer on the political left argued a “centre” bias — both a pundit from the political right and from the political center indicated a “lean left” bias.

The CBC is in decline due to biased coverage, broken trust and failed leadership, said a report in Ottawa Life.

“The CBC has faced increasing criticism in recent years for biassed reporting, particularly accusations of leaning towards left-wing perspectives and failing to provide balanced coverage,” wrote Ottawa Life.

“One of the most notable examples is its handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, where a directive from CBC’s Editor in Chief on October 7, 2023, that CBC reports should not label Hamas as a terrorist organisation raised serious concerns about its impartiality.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thinks funding levels are insufficient for his top appointees at CBC, said Conservatives, noting CBC executives received large bonuses, “even though they have presided over the CBC’s rock bottom.”

Since 2018, said Conservatives, CBC ratings have collapsed by almost 50%, and they have failed to meet 79% of the key performance targets they created for themselves.

“This year, the CBC also announced they cut 800 jobs in December of last year,” said Conservatives.

“Soon after this, the CBC had to run to Justin Trudeau to receive an emergency $42 million taxpayer-funded top-up. The last thing this money should go to is more executive bonuses for well-connected insiders who have failed to produce any content Canadians actually want to consume.”

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