SIMS: CBC is a government monster gobbling up tax dollars

Now is the time to reduce public financing for the CBC. Even while millions of Canadians were adversely affected by job losses, pay cuts, and the pandemic in 2020-21, the CBC was rewarding its own staff with bonuses and pay raises worth over $51 million. In addition to the usual annual grants given by the government, CBC also received an extra $42 million during the federal fiscal update and $21 million in Budget 2021; ostensibly to help the corporation offset some of the economic costs under the pandemic. This additional money is on top of the $1.2 billion Canadians foot annually for the CBC. An amount that could hire 13,000 nurses or pay for groceries for 100,000 families.

The amount we pay for the CBC is equivalent to the yearly income taxes for the residents of Nanaimo. Back in the 1930s when it was established, it gave out Canadian news and entertainment through radio broadcasts in order to rival the influential shows from networks like CBS in New York. It would inform farmers of the weather conditions, as well as brodcasting Hockey Night in Canada. Things have definitely changed since then: farmers can see upcoming storms with weather apps, parents can dress their children with what their phones recommend, we can watch our shows on commercial TV, YouTube, and Netflix, and hockey can be watched anywhere. Today, the CBC is a big government company with about 7,500 workers, 11 different labour unions, and more than 600 personalities on its website.

The CBC has a 12-person Board of Directors and a senior executive team of eight members, with Catherine Tait as president and CEO. Her yearly salary ranges between $422,600 and $497,100 and she is eligible for a performance bonus of up to 28%.

Since long, the Canadian journalism sector has suggested that CBC employs around four managers against each journalist, and this was very evidently seen when the National presenter Peter Mansbridge was replaced with four different anchors – without disclosing the total cost. However, documents obtained by CANADALAND revealed that Peter Mansbridge was earning a salary of more than $800,000 every year. Contrary to this, the viewership for CBC’s local 6 PM newscasts at 27 stations was only 319,000 people, according to the independent news site, Blacklocks Reporter.

Fewer than 1% of Canadians tune in to the nightly news broadcast. However, when the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) states that it is essential due to Indigenous language services, we should take a closer look at the facts. From 2018-2021, the CBC allotted $18.3 million towards Indigenous language television, radio, and online services. In the same time frame, more than $21 million was dispersed toward the salaries and benefits for their 8 senior executives. Moreover, each of the network’s 143 directors received an average yearly salary of $130,906, costing taxpayers about $18.7 million per year. This is an excessive amount to pay for a state-funded service and cannot be observed in private companies. Ultimately, the CBC is no longer necessary for Canadians and is too pricey for taxpayers to sustan.