Faced with a $100 million shortfall, CBC/Radio-Canada plans to limit new job creation and consider replacing departures in hopes of reducing its operating costs.
During a meeting Wednesday afternoon, CBC/Radio-Canada president Catherine Tait told staff she was suspending new job creation and could not replace resignations or retirements, Le Devoir announced Wednesday. The president would also explore other scenarios to reduce Crown corporation spending.
“In the current context, managing vacancies can be an effective way to reduce the financial pressures we face,” confirmed Leon Mar, director of media relations at CBC/Radio-Canada, when contacted by the QMI agency.
The spokesman said the Crown corporation has established “guiding principles” designed to “guide decisions in the next fiscal year to ensure our financial viability.”
“Our goal is to minimize the impact on the services we provide to the Canadian population and position ourselves well for the future,” Mr. Mar added.
This announcement comes barely a week after the resignation of Michel Bissonnette, senior vice-president in charge of French-language services at CBC/Radio-Canada.
In 2021-2022, CBC/Radio-Canada received $1.2 billion from the federal government and its total spending was $2 billion.
At Ottawa’s request, the public broadcaster must cut its budget by 100 million per year for the next three years.
Ottawa has already announced a $60 million cut in public funding for the SRC because the Trudeau government cut parliamentary funding in the last budget.
The SRC also needs to reduce its costs by an additional $40 million and better control the increase in its production costs.
According to its website, CBC/Radio-Canada had 7,960 full-time equivalent employees as of April 1, 2023. Approximately 81% of the workforce is unionized.