Utoo Radio with Other News Sources - July 16, 2024 - Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has renewed his pledge to "defund the CBC" after the board of directors for CBC and Radio-Canada approved bonuses for some staff for work they did in the most recent fiscal year.

The move came amid outcry that 1,194 eligible employees working for the public broadcaster would receive bonuses in a year when 141 employees were laid off and 205 vacant positions were eliminated.

Poilievre's post generated over 23,000 likes and hundreds of supportive comments, with one fan writing, "This is the best thing you've ever said!" The Canadian Press reported that bonuses will be paid despite members of Parliament saying it would be inappropriate to do so after hundreds of jobs were eliminated.

The board acknowledged the views expressed by some that performance pay should not be awarded at CBC/Radio-Canada in a time of financial pressures and associated workforce reductions.

In response, the board will be assessing future compensation arrangements and will share recommendations with the public.

Last December, the CBC said it planned to cut 600 jobs, eliminate 200 vacancies, and slash $40 million from its production budget to help mitigate a projected $125-million shortfall. However, CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Catherine Tait cried poor saying the public broadcaster was woefully underfunded, even though it shelled out $14.9 million in bonuses in 2022-23.

Poilievre has long maintained that if elected prime minister, he will end funding to the CBC.

Last year, data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute indicated that one-third of Canadians want to see the CBC’s funding cut off. The Office of Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge defended the CBC, maintaining that the service “connects (Canadians) from coast to coast to coast.”