By Canadian Press

Minister mum on confidence in CBC head, says work to find successor begins next year

Dec 12, 2023 | 9:52 AM

OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Pascale St. Onge says the government will convene a committee early in the new year to begin searching for a new head of CBC/Radio-Canada.

The mandate of the public broadcaster’s current president and CEO Catherine Tait, who was first appointed in 2018 and saw her contract renewed in June, is set to expire in January 2025. 

St. Onge wouldn’t directly answer reporters’ questions today about whether she still has confidence in Tait, saying the government’s focus is finding the “right person” to lead once she is no longer in the role. 

Tait’s tenure has fallen under heightened scrutiny after she announced plans last week to cut 600 jobs and not fill 200 vacancies over the next year to manage a $125-million shortfall.

Tait received heavy criticism for telling host Adrienne Arsenault on CBC’s The National, the same day as that announcement, that it was “too early” to say whether executives would receive bonuses this year.

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She and seven other vice-presidents said in a statement last Friday that they were aware of the concerns and that “all possible measures” were being considered to manage financial pressures, including a look at “senior executive compensation.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2023. 

The Canadian Press