OTTAWA — The embattled head of the CBC refused to say if she would accept a bonus offered as part of her generous compensation package, calling it a “personal matter.”
CBC President and CEO Catherine Tait, testifying before the House Canadian Heritage Committee on Monday, was asked by Conservative MP Damien Kurek whether she would accept a bonus — a matter she has refused to clarify during previous appearances before House committees.
“‘It’s confidential’ doesn’t cut it for Canadians, it doesn’t cut it for Parliamentary oversight,” Kurek said.
“So again, I ask, will you — specifically today — share with this committee whether or not you will refuse a severance package or bonus at the conclusion of your term as president and CEO of the CBC?”
Tait, whose appointment runs until Jan. 3, reiterated her previous refusals to answer the question directly.
“As I’ve said, I consider that to be a personal matter, and I believe I’m protected by the privacy act in that regard,” she said.
Assuming the bonus is approved by the Privy Council Office, Tait can expect to receive up to 28% of her annual salary — between $468,900 and $551,600 — as a bonus this year. She’s overseeing Canada’s national broadcaster at a time it is shedding hundreds of unionized jobs and eliminating hundreds of more due to flagging revenues and performance.
“To get a bonus on top of that, at a time when viewership is down, ad revenue for your organization is down, I ask specifically about whether or not you would refuse to take a severance package at the conclusion of your term?” Kurek said.
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In response, Tait said Canadians would expect the CBC to honour its commitment to their non-unionized employees, and maintained that while total ad revenues were indeed down, digital ad revenues actually went up during her tenure.
Monday was the third time Tait’s been brought before House committees to testify about executive bonuses for the CBC, which she inisted on Monday was an attempt by committee members to drag her name through the mud.
“There is a clear effort on the part of members of this committee to vilify and to discredit me and to discredit the organization,” she said during questioning by Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, a committee member.
Franco Terrazzano, federal director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, wasn’t buying Tait’s dodge.
“Tait taking a taxpayer-funded bonus or severance pay-out, on top of her six-figure, taxpayer-funded salary, is the furthest thing in the world from a ‘personal matter,’” he said.
“It’s taxpayer money, so taxpayers have every right to know.”
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