(Ottawa) CBC/Radio-Canada On Monday 600 job cuts and 200 vacant positions, or about 10% of the workforce, were “premature,” according to a federal judge’s decision.
Two government sources belonging to different ministries used the term to describe the situation. The Canadian Press has granted them anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
One of those on the line said the ad was “a bit ridiculous.” And the president and CEO, Catherine Tait, “didn’t understand the exercise we were doing”.
The same source also insists that the $100 million deal that Ottawa signed with Google last week will allow CBC/Radio-Canada to generate “additional” revenue.
In announcing the 125 million cuts, the broadcaster’s senior management said they took into account a 3% cut in its public funding, or the savings Ottawa had targeted in its last budget.
“We have received orders from all ministries and state corporations. This number is within our expectations,” confirmed M.me Tight in the interview.
However, the Canadian Heritage Minister, Pascale Saint-Onge, appears to have been multiplying signals since the beginning of the week regarding the idea that CBC/Radio-Canada may be excluded or even partially excluded from the federal budget effort.
“We are looking. It is not something that can be applied without taking into account the implications. So, no decision has been taken,” she re-announced as she arrived at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
But behind the scenes, we don’t beat around the bush. “What we said was: “Send us a submission (for the cuts), we’ll evaluate it, and then we’ll let you know if we approve it or not”. Then everyone else does, except for Radio-Canada, which doesn’t seem to understand,” a source sighed.
The other source also insists that “they (CBC/Radio-Canada) have no real indication that the exercise applies.”
If the public broadcaster is excluded from the budget exercise, the number of job losses could be lower, according to CBC/Radio-Canada’s Big Boss.
According to calculations by the Radio-Canada Workers Union, which is affiliated with CSN, a 3% reduction in spending would mean about 38 million a year.
We also note that the 800 positions associated with the cut is actually 60 million, as 25 million in savings come from discretionary costs and 40 million from independent productions.
CBC/Radio-Canada management, however, indicated in an email that the “3.3%” cuts “requested by the federal government” would mean 11 million from next year and that the target would increase to 38 million over three years.
In the office of Treasury Board President, Anita Anand, it was explained that the government wants to “refocus” on an “average” of 3% per sector.
Representative Mme Anand, Rony Al-Nosir, stated that the Treasury Board has no jurisdiction over Crown corporations, but over the departments to which they report.
And as CBC/Radio-Canada reported to the Canadian Heritage Department, he explained, “It’s heritage that will have to consult with all the Crown corporations to decide who keeps what in this exercise.”
Both the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party (NDP) indicated on Tuesday that they believe the public broadcaster should be exempt from the 3% cut.
“I am not a supporter of cuts or financial restrictions at Radio-Canada, especially in a time of crisis,” declared Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchett. There is no question of the State denying Radio-Canada a mandate of necessary information in the regions, and mostly in French. »
Furthermore, Mr. Blanchett called on the state-owned company to immediately stop “any program or attempt to cut positions” and to have its CEO appear before a parliamentary committee.
New Democrat Canadian heritage critic Peter Julien said the exemption means CBC/Radio-Canada must invest in local news. He thinks bonuses for senior executives have no place in the context of cuts, something CEO Catherine Tait did not renounce in an interview widely shared on social networks.
Alexandre Bouleris, the NDP’s deputy leader, said his party favors an emergency fund to “save the furniture.” He then went on the attack, accusing the minister of “turning a blind eye” to the cuts, which contrasted with her comments from her time as union leader in the communications sector.
At the Conservative Party of Canada, whose leader Pierre Poilivre has promised to “shut down” the CBC if he becomes prime minister, a spokesman announced that the party intends to always protect Radio-Canada, the public broadcaster’s French service.
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