If CBC CEO Catherine Tait is hankering to “have the love,” her best shot may be to apply for a job at an animal shelter. She just doesn’t seem to comprehend why ungrateful Canadians don’t appreciate and revere the CBC.“It is extremely difficult to not have the love and the support for the work we do,” Tait told the Commons Heritage Committee Tuesday, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.Anyone smell victimhood wafting through the air? With a hint of righteous self-pity mingling with a heavy aroma of utterly clueless?Seriously, what CEO muses about yearning for love when summoned before MPs to talk about why CBC executives are entitled to bonuses when the state media corporation is doing worse than very, very badly. Embarrassingly juvenile.Canada’s Love Boat has been increasingly sailing without the CBC onboard, especially since 2018 when Tait took over and ratings continued to tumble. In fact, even mentioning the CBC and its slanted take on issues gets many Canadians spitting mad.So, stray puppies and kittens might be the answer to Tait’s love difficulty. They aren’t particular about who they shower with affection because they’re starving for someone to care.Much like CBC employees must be feeling now as more of the 600 planned 2024 layoffs loom — while executives, including Tait, dream of how they’ll spend their big, fat bonuses on top of their big, fat salaries, for doing big, fat zip to improve the CBC.Love or hate the CBC, people with families to feed face losing their jobs.Many are top-notch journalists under the thumbs of out-of-touch, self-anointed elite executives and managers suffering superiority complexes.Other reporters and opinion writers are simply annoying woke burdens on taxpayers that have hysterical agenda-pushing confused with honest journalism. Hence, plummeting ratings.The CBC executive has shamelessly abandoned journalistic principles. It is as if they take what-to-report orders from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. I don't think they do but knowing they get about $1.3 billion a year in taxpayer cash must be always on their minds.No, no, said Tait. The CBC, Canada’s only national media, is a champion of fighting disinformation.Don’t worry about the 100 corrections it was forced to issue in the past two years. But last year, $16,052,148 in “performance” bonuses were paid 1,142 ‘special’ employees selected out of CBC’s army of 6,262. Although that figure was reported by the CBC, Tait sniffed that it was really only $14.9 million.Tait declined to surrender her estimated $100,00 annual bonus, during the hearing.But please understand, a big decision like that is apparently above Tait’s $497,000-a-year basic pay grade. Tack on bonus and other benefits and she’s raking in as much as a cool $623,900.No, she didn’t disclose the exact amount of her bonus. Struggling taxpayers who foot it aren’t deserving of such private details.“Will you be given a bonus,” asked Lethbridge Conservative MP Rachael Thomas. “It’s not my decision about whether I get a bonus or not,” said Tait.“All of the management team presents to the board of directors our results.”A sterling example of leadership would be to buck the trend, step out on a limb, take one for the team — and refuse the bonus.Thomas tried to understand the logic behind the bonuses.“The viewership of the CBC is cut in half since you took leadership in 2018. It’s come down by half,” she said.“So, it’s interesting to me that you’re giving bonuses or performance awards, when in fact the CBC is performing the poorest it’s ever performed.” Silly. It’s a Crown corporation. Therefore, according to Tait, it’s special.“Crown corporations all have performance pay. It helps us deliver on key objectives and helps us stretch to meet ambitious goals,” said Tait.Fed-up Canadians would very much appreciate CBC executives forgoing pay for poor performances.Tait said CBC heroically struggles through, void of love, because “we believe that serving Canadians, English and French and indigenous, is worth it.”“It’s a pillar of democracy.”And here’s where one must really wonder in disbelief … What was she thinking? Did she hear herself?The 600 layoffs are because of an anticipated $125 million budget shortfall.“We must continue to manage with what we have and do our very best to stretch limited resources to meet our mandate,” said Tait heroically.Hint. Hint. More taxpayer money!But there’s millions in the pot for executive bonuses?No, no, they aren’t “frivolous awards,” said Tait.“This is performance pay.”Ontario Liberal MP Michael Coteau questioned the timing of the bonuses.“Tone is an important thing during these challenging times and when Canadians see $16 million going out in bonuses it is hard to stomach especially when they see cuts,” he said.“Usually, bonuses happen when things are good.”“Would you consider maybe looking at those who make over $200,000 and setting a tone?”Nope. Not likely.“We have a process in place,” said Tait.One shudders to think of how much heftier those executive bonuses would be if, in fact, Tait and the executive team had steered the CBC in a good direction.The layoff process has already started. About 100 notices have been sent out since December.Hundreds more are on the way.Wonder how much love Tait feels while walking through any CBC newsroom, if she even does that.
