The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the public broadcaster paid out $18.4 million in bonuses during the 2023-24 fiscal year, even as it eliminated hundreds of jobs. 

The revelation comes from documents obtained through access to information requests.

Among the 1,194 employees who received bonuses, 45 executives were awarded more than $3.3 million, averaging over $73,000 per executive. 

Meanwhile, $10.4 million went to 631 managers, and over $4.6 million was distributed to 518 other employees.

These bonuses were approved by the CBC’s board in June, despite the state-broadcaster’s announcement last December that it would be laying off employees to balance its budget. 

In total, 141 employees lost their jobs, and 205 vacant positions were eliminated. 

CBC has defended the bonuses, describing them as “performance pay” that forms a part of the total compensation for some employees, based on contracts that promise payouts when certain company goals are met. 

CBC will receive $1.4 billion in funding between 2024-25 from taxpayer money. 

Trudeau Liberals support Tait’s bonus 

Last year, the Trudeau liberals voted against a motion proposed by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, that called to block the state-broadcaster from dishing out bonuses in light of the mass layoffs. 

As of April 2023, the CBC CEO, Catherine Tait, earns between $442,900 — $521,000, all paid for by Canadian taxpayers. With bonuses and benefits, she’s able to earn up to $623,900 per year.

Tait told a parliamentary committee earlier this year that the media company receives “chronic underfunding.”