Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 21st, 2024

[Catherine Tait]

Just let me have a look here for my file.

You say specifically in 2014. In 2014, the number of people receiving the performance pay was only 544 as opposed to 1,180. There was a decision taken before my arrival to expand the number of people receiving performance pay because we were having difficulty retaining certain pay bands within the organization.

You need to understand that when I say we are paid at 50% of what the industry pays, that means we have retention challenges, and therefore the performance pay was put in place for a larger group of people in order to ensure retention.

For the—

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

I buy that.

My question is really more about whether you changed the formula of what performance pay looks like versus what it was in 2014.

Is it a completely new system or is the same—

[Catherine Tait]

It's the same system. We have simplified it. We've tried to have fewer performance indicators to make it clearer for employees what they're driving toward, but it is basically the same approach. That's not just since 2014, but since 2007.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

I don't know if you can tell me this, but on an inflation-adjusted basis, are the bonuses now materially more than they would have been in the Harper era on a per capita basis or are they about the same?

[Catherine Tait]

No.

As I said, on an inflationary basis, they would be less. As I said earlier, performance pay has stayed at about $15,000, on average, per recipient.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

On an inflation-adjusted basis, under the Harper government—under Conservatives—CBC performance pay was, on a per capita basis, more than it is today.

[Catherine Tait]

Yes. I don't have the math on inflation, but yes, it would be marginally higher.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Right. I see.

Can you tell me whether the Conservative Party of Canada has been spending money on advertising on CBC?

[Catherine Tait]

I beg your pardon. I didn't hear the question. I'm having trouble hearing.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Do you know if the Conservative Party has been buying advertising on CBC?

[Catherine Tait]

I'm not entirely sure of that. They certainly can. I believe any political party may buy advertising outside of an election period. That is my understanding of the policy.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Let me help you with that. I believe they have been buying advertising on CBC.

I'm wondering if you can help me square the circle. We hear a lot from Conservatives about defunding the CBC and about it not being of any value to Canadians, yet they are buying advertising on your platform.

Can you help me understand? I'm having some difficulty with this. Why would they be criticizing a platform and a broadcaster and then spend money on it and buy advertising on it?

[Catherine Tait]

Well, I would assume it's because we're a very effective way of reaching more Canadians.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

It would seem that way.

Can you tell me about the reach that you actually have now across all of your platforms, relative to what you might have had in 2014?

[Catherine Tait]

We have become the number one digital news platform in the country. We reach 21 million Canadians every month in English and in French.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

You reach 21 million Canadians in English and in French.

Can Canadians access your content for free?

[Catherine Tait]

Yes, our news is free.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

Your news is free, and it is available to all Canadians across the country, from coast to coast to coast.

[Catherine Tait]

Yes, it's from coast to coast to coast.

[Taleeb Noormohamed, Liberal, Vancouver Granville, BC]

What would the impact be if Conservatives were given the opportunity to defund the CBC and Radio-Canada? What would that do to access to news and content for Canadians in rural communities, in Quebec and, I would argue, in indigenous communities?

Could you give us a sense of what that would look like if all of that were to be cut?

[Catherine Tait]

It would be devastating. We are the only national media service in the country. It would pose questions of national security. We operate 720 transmission towers across 520 sites. It's the largest network in the country.

Defunding the CBC—if it was only CBC—would mean laying off 3,500 employees. It would mean no local news. CBC and Radio-Canada are co-located in 15 stations across the country. It would mean that those services, especially to French-language minority communities, would be highly compromised, and let's talk—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Can you wrap up, please, Ms. Tait? I'm sorry, but we've gone over time.

[Catherine Tait]

Let's talk about the north and our role in preserving indigenous languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you. I now go to Mr. Champoux for two and a half minutes, please.

Go ahead, Martin.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Ms. Tait, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue in the same vein.

In my opinion, this is an extremely important element of this whole disinformation campaign orchestrated by those in favour of abolishing CBC funding. They're trying to make Quebeckers and francophones outside Quebec believe that the Société Radio-Canada, the SRC, would be spared and that French services would not be affected at all by the measures.

Are you telling us that it's impossible to envision the CBC losing its funding without repercussions for French services?