The CBC doled out about $16.1 million in bonuses to staff in 2022, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). .“Canadians are missing meals while many CBC staffers aren’t even missing bonuses,” said CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano in a Thursday blog post..“The CBC should stop handing out bonuses and stop taking so much money from taxpayers.”.The documents said CBC management issued bonuses to 1,142 employees, averaging out to $14,056 per person and costing taxpayers $16.1 million. .In the eight years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power, the number of employees taking home an annual bonus has more than doubled, rising from 546 in 2015 to 1,142 in 2022 — an increase of 109%..The documents went on to say during the first nine months of the 2022-2023 fiscal year, management gave out $12.5 million in pay raises to 6,262 employees, representing about 80% of the workforce. .No employee received a pay cut in 2022. .Since 2015, the documents said management dished out almost $185 million in bonuses and pay raises, for an average of $23 million per year. That includes $80 million in bonuses and raises since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. .The CTF reported in February the number of CBC staff receiving six-figure annual salaries increased every year since 2015. There are now 220 more employees with a six-figure salary than before the pandemic. .A total of 949 employees are making more than $100,000 annually, for a grand total of $119.5 million. .CBC’s annual reports show its overall cost went up since 2015, with its funding increasing by $203 million. CBC cost taxpayers $1.2 billion in 2021. .The Canadian government’s latest fiscal update allocated an additional $42 million to help it recover from the pandemic. .It handed out $28.5 million in bonuses and pay raises to staff in 2022, which represents about two-thirds of the latest cash influx from the Canadian government. .While the CBC continues to receive consistent funding, most private media continues to struggle. .Postmedia Network announced in February it was laying off 11% of its editorial staff. The cuts impacted almost every Postmedia publication. .Bell Media slashed more than 200 journalism and radio and television support jobs across Canada in 2022, shuttering three radio stations in Hamilton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. .CBC’s workforce grew by 7.3% since Trudeau came to power, rising from 7,213 in 2015-2016 to 7,743 in 2020-2021. .Terrazzano said struggling people “shouldn’t be paying for big bonuses at the CBC.”.“If the CBC has enough money lying around to hand out millions in bonuses during a pandemic, then taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fork over more,” he said. .Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said at his Axe the Carbon Tax Rally in 2022 he would defund the CBC, which was met with thunderous applause. .READ MORE: Hundreds gather for Pierre Poilievre’s ‘Axe the Carbon Tax’ rally in Ottawa.“The room doesn’t seem undecided on that one, does it?” said Poilievre. .“That will save us a lot of money.”
