CBC head says performance pay is a ‘personal matter’

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in Parliament Today, a Village Media newsletter devoted to covering federal politics on Parliament Hill.

CBC president Catherine Tait has vowed to share recommendations stemming from an ongoing compensation review sometime in the “new year,” though it remains unclear whether that will happen before her term ends at the public broadcaster.

The House heritage committee met Monday to dive into senior management compensation at CBC/Radio-Canada, hearing from Tait and CBC board chair Michael Goldbloom. The meeting comes just months before Tait’s contract ends on Jan. 3, and amid reports that Quebec TV executive Marie-Philippe Bouchard will replace her.

Tait and Goldbloom have been on the defensive for months after the Canadian Press reported CBC had paid out $18.4 million in performance pay in 2023-24. The National Post also unearthed records showing Tait spent $6,000 for a five-day trip to the Paris Olympics this summer, complete with a $1,000 per night hotel stay; although noted it was likely justified. 

The high spending has irked the Conservatives, who dubbed the performance pay an “insulting” move amid an affordability crisis. 

The CPC has frequently used this number to attack the public broadcaster, who they’ve vowed to partially “defund.”  

CPC MP Damien Kurek picked up the thread Monday, pressing Tait to reject performance pay or a “severance package” before leaving the job. 

“‘It’s confidential’ doesn't cut it for Canadians and parliamentary oversight,” Kurek said, referencing the government and CBC’s refusal to say whether it approved a bonus for Tait. 

But Tait said she considers the issue a “personal matter.”

“I believe I’m protected by the Privacy Act in that regard,” she told the committee.

Tait has previously expressed no regret in shelling out millions in performance pay, explaining a portion of a manager’s pay is “withheld” and only granted if key performance indicators are met. She noted the CBC’s board is more generally considering an overhaul to the compensation regime.

That review will look at whether executives are being paid fairly and etch out comparisons to the private sector, Tait said. 

“We will share the recommendations of that review when they become available in the new year,” she promised.

Tait was responding to Liberal MP Michael Coteau, who agreed the $18.4 million figure does not “sit well with Canadians because they see it as a bonus.”

“No matter which way you slice it, it sounds like a bonus, and that’s the challenge,” he added.