The Liberal government said it has not yet made a decision about whether it will grant a bonus for the head of CBC after the public broadcaster eliminated hundreds of jobs.

But because of the Privacy Act, it will likely be up to CEO Catherine Tait to publicly disclose if she does receive one. She previously confirmed she did accept performance pay for the 2021-22 fiscal year at a House of Commons committee meeting.

Heritage Canada confirmed the government is still deciding on a bonus for 2023-24, while CBC said Friday a decision hasnB次元官网网址檛 been made regarding a potential bonus for 2022-23.

The Opposition Conservatives have been seeking support from other parties to back their call to bring Tait back to committee to answer questions.

B次元官网网址淚f (Prime Minister Justin) Trudeau isnB次元官网网址檛 planning to give his CEO of the CBC a massive taxpayer-funded bonus then he can clearly say so,B次元官网网址� said Rachael Thomas, the Conservative critic for Canadian Heritage in a statement.

B次元官网网址淭he LiberalsB次元官网网址� refusal to say as much tells you everything you need to know B次元官网网址� that despite Catherine TaitB次元官网网址檚 many failures, the Liberals intend to give their hand-picked head of the CBC a fat bonus for faithfully acting as the Liberal propaganda machine.B次元官网网址�

The CBCB次元官网网址檚 editorial independence from government is enshrined in law.

CBC/Radio-CanadaB次元官网网址檚 board of directors recently approved over $18.4 million in bonuses for nearly 1,200 employees, managers and executives for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

More than $3.3 million of that was paid to 45 executives.

So far, no other parties have joined the ConservativesB次元官网网址� request, even though MPs on the committee unanimously agreed earlier this year that given the job cuts it would be inappropriate for CBC to grant bonuses to executive members after making job cuts.

B次元官网网址淎 lot can happen between now and the return in committee, so I canB次元官网网址檛 tell you what my position will be when a motion to invite Ms. Tait will be debated,B次元官网网址� said Bloc Qu茅b茅cois MP Martin Champoux, who sits on the Heritage committee, in a statement.

B次元官网网址淔or now, I urge the Liberals to disclose whether or not they approved Ms. TaitB次元官网网址檚 bonus and to request justifications from CBC-RCB次元官网网址檚 board.B次元官网网址�

New Democrats didnB次元官网网址檛 respond to multiple requests for comment on whether they want Tait to testify at committee.

A spokesperson for Trudeau declined to comment on the bonuses.

Canadian Heritage declined to speak to The Canadian Press on the record this week and initially referred all questions to the Privy Council Office, including whether a decision had been made about TaitB次元官网网址檚 bonus for this last fiscal year.

The department said it couldnB次元官网网址檛 answer any question related to TaitB次元官网网址檚 bonus due privacy laws.

On Friday, Canadian Heritage changed direction by confirming it is still mulling over the decision to approve performance pay for Tait, but cited privacy laws again to say that its decision would not be made public.

It is up to the federal government to approve a bonus for Tait following a review of her performance and recommendations by the board of directors at CBC/Radio-Canada.

B次元官网网址淔or vital institutions like this, itB次元官网网址檚 crucial to carefully review the boardB次元官网网址檚 recommendations and collaborate closely with officials to ensure proper procedures are followed,B次元官网网址� the heritage ministerB次元官网网址檚 office said in a statement Friday.

B次元官网网址淭he minister will take the time we need to get board evaluation processes right, while ensuring the government follows human resources best practices and meets strict privacy law requirements.B次元官网网址� Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge was not made available for an interview.

In May, Tait told the House heritage committee that she last received a bonus for the fiscal year 2021-22, and that she had not yet received performance pay for the fiscal year 2022-23.

TaitB次元官网网址檚 salary range is between $468,900 and $551,600, with the government setting her bonus between seven per cent to 28 per cent of her salary, if she meets certain performance targets.

Canadian Heritage would not say if she has met the targets.

B次元官网网址淭he Liberals are desperate to avoid telling struggling Canadians they are going to be stuck paying her $149k bonus this year, on top of her base salary of approximately half a million dollars,B次元官网网址� said Thomas.

B次元官网网址淐learly even the Liberals know this is indefensible, given they are avoiding giving an answer.B次元官网网址�

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press