The head of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is facing scrutiny from members of a House of Commons committee over her travel and hotel expenses worth about $6,000 at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Catherine Tait, CBC president and CEO, was pressed Monday by MPs on the standing committee on Canadian heritage about her trip to France, which included a four-night stay at a five-star hotel in Paris.
Tait told the committee that he was in France on a “personal trip” during the Olympics, but that during that time he was also working for CBC/Radio-Canada, which was the official broadcaster of the Games in Canada.
Tait dismissed accusations that he charged taxpayers for his personal travel.
“I made it very clear why I was in Paris as CEO of the Olympic Games, one of the most important events in which Canada performed spectacularly,” Tait said.
According to a proactive disclosure To cover his travel expenses, Tait traveled to the French capital for “business meetings and business events” during the Paris Olympics from July 25 to 29.
From the document it appears that Tait billed a total of $5,869.37 to the CBC for his stay in Paris.
This included $3,955.38 for lodging, $873.41 for meals and incidents as well as $344.21 for transportation.
The National Post first reported Monday that Tait spent four nights at the Hôtel du Collectionneur that cost $1,000 a night.
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Tait said this was the official hotel of the Olympics and there was no cheaper option available.
“ “There was no hotel room in Paris that was available at a lower price than that hotel,” he said.
“I was there with other delegates and enjoyed all the services, for example the shuttle service that allowed us to go to the opening of the Games because there were security issues at stake.”
Tait said that because he had taken a flight to France for his vacation, he did not ask CBC/Radio-Canada to pay for his airfare. Instead, he billed the train costs to get to Paris.
CBC director says her bonus is a “personal matter”
This was Tait’s third appearance on the heritage committee, which is studying recent job cuts made within CBC/Radio-Canada.
Tait last appeared on the heritage committee in May, where she was pressed on executive bonuses, a focal point of the committee’s work as it studies recent job cuts made within CBC/Radio-Canada.
The public broadcaster has come under scrutiny for granting bonuses to senior management in the same fiscal year in which it cut hundreds of jobs.
CBC/Radio-Canada paid $18.4 million in bonuses to 1,194 employees for the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press through freedom of information laws. More than $3.3 million of that amount was paid to 45 executives.
Between December 2023 and March 31, when the last fiscal year ended, CBC/Radio-Canada eliminated 346 jobs from the organization by laying off 141 employees and eliminating 205 vacant positions.
Tait said he did not receive what the company calls “performance pay” in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
However, when asked by Conservative MP Damien Kurek whether he will reject a bonus or accept a severity package when his term ends on January 3, 2025.
“I think Canadians would expect the Corporation to honor its commitments to its non-union employees as it would to its employees,” Tait said.
Kurek said “’it’s confidential’ is not enough for Canadians” or for parliamentary oversight.
“So, again, I ask you, will you specifically share with this committee today whether or not you will reject a severity package or a bonus at the end of your term as president and CEO of CBC News,” Kurek said.
To which Tait responded: “ As I said, I consider it a personal matter. That’s why I think I’m protected by the Privacy Act in that sense. “
In June, the station’s board of directors publicly acknowledged the negative optics of giving bonuses during the same fiscal year in which it made cuts. It has since initiated a review of its compensation regime for future years.
Tait said the review’s recommendations will be shared publicly when they become available next year.
Heritage committee members unanimously said in a report to the House of Commons earlier this year that, given job cuts at CBC/Radio-Canada, it would be inappropriate for the public broadcaster to award bonuses to executive members .
– with files from The Canadian Press
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