By The Canadian Press

CBC to stop paying individual bonuses after controversy

May 14, 2025 | 2:29 PM

OTTAWA — CBC will no longer pay individual bonuses to employees, its board said in a statement Wednesday more than a year after concerns about the practice became political fodder on Parliament Hill.

The board said the decision is to discontinue what CBC refers to as “performance pay” and adjust salaries of affected staff to compensate them.

It said it made the decision to eliminate the bonuses “with the advice and concurrence” of president and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard.

The move comes after the public broadcaster was criticized for paying out millions of dollars in bonuses after eliminating hundreds of jobs.

The statement follows the release of an independent review by Mercer Canada of the broadcaster’s compensation for non-union employees, including senior executives.

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That review said that while salaries at the CBC are generally aligned with those at other companies and private sector organizations, the bonuses have “faced scrutiny.”

It recommended that if the CBC decides to get rid of its performance-based incentive program, the broadcaster should take steps to ensure compensation stays in the “midpoint of the market.”

“While CBC/Radio-Canada’s incentive targets are generally conservative relative to market, removing incentives altogether would position CBC/Radio-Canada’s compensation below market,” the report said.

“CBC/Radio-Canada should be mindful of not falling below market if it wants to retain and recruit the expertise and talent it needs to deliver on the organization’s national mandate.”

The CBC/Radio-Canada board of directors approved more than $18.4 million in bonuses for nearly 1,200 employees, managers and executives for the 2023-24 fiscal year after the broadcaster eliminated hundreds of jobs.

Former CBC head Catherine Tait came under fire over the issue — and for not ruling out accepting a bonus for herself — and was summoned to a Parliamentary committee over the issue.

In an interview shortly after taking over the role, Bouchard said she would make a decision on the bonuses after the report was released but did not say at the time whether she would refuse to accept a bonus.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2025.

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press