President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada Catherine Tait speaks during a panel discussion in Ottawa on Dec., 1, 2022. The head of Canada's public broadcaster will remain in her role for another 18 months, after her contract was extended by the federal heritage minister.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Catherine Tait will remain at the helm of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for an extra 18 months, federal Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced on Thursday.
The extension of her term until January, 2025 follows months of controversy with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has called for the defunding of CBC and accused Ms. Tait of behaving in a partisan manner.
Ms. Tait was appointed President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada in 2018 after more than 30 years in the independent film and television business.
Ms. Tait is the first woman in the high-profile role. Her term was due to end this July but the renewal extends her contract to 2025, when the next federal election is also due.
Mr. Rodriguez said her reappointment coincides with the passing of Bill C-11, which updates Canada’s broadcasting laws, and Bill C-18, which, if passed, would make tech giants fund news organizations including CBC.
“Given the scope of change with the implementation of the Online Streaming Act and the proposed Online News Act, the continuity in her role at the helm of the public broadcaster is key during this time,” he said, announcing the decision. “Ms. Tait’s willingness to complete this critical work shows her deep commitment to the value of public broadcasting in Canada.”
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Ms. Tait came under fire from CBC viewers and supporters earlier this year when, in an interview with The Globe and Mail, she disclosed that CBC is preparing to end traditional TV and radio broadcasts and go completely digital, as audiences shift to streaming.
The CBC chief signalled that the scrapping of TV and radio broadcasts is unlikely to happen over the next decade and will depend on all Canadians having sufficient broadband to stream programs and films.
But MPs and CBC supporters expressed disquiet that the plans could cut off Canadians who rely on radio and TV for their news, including access on car radios.
Friends (formerly Friends of Canadian Broadcasting) e-mailed hundreds of thousands of its supporters after her comments, suggesting that CBC should focus on its mandate of serving all Canadians. Its executive director, Marla Boltman, said at the time that CBC should not be “so concerned with trying to keep up with the digital Joneses.”
But on Thursday, Ms. Boltman firmly welcomed the decision to extend Ms. Tait’s term for a further 18 months.
“We applaud the government for its decision to keep Ms. Tait’s firm hand at the wheel during these turbulent times,” she said. “Between the Conservative Party of Canada’s daily threats to defund the CBC, and the relentless assault by foreign tech giants on Canadian news and programming, the CBC is under unprecedented attack.”
Conservatives, including Mr. Poilievre have been asking the government to freeze CBC’s funding, while keeping French programming.
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Referring to the attacks on CBC, Ms. Tait said in her Globe interview that “there are a group of dissenters and detractors and they have been given voice.”
“They have a megaphone and they’re using it.”
She criticized the Tory Leader’s call to defund CBC, saying it’s a “slogan” and a tactic to solicit donations. She accused Mr. Poilievre of inciting attacks on the broadcaster, saying: “There’s a lot of CBC bashing going on – somewhat stoked by the Leader of the Opposition.”
Mr. Poilievre hit back after her remarks, accusing the CBC president of launching a partisan attack on him. She is “not even pretending to be unbiased,” he said.
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Ms. Tait said in a statement Thursday that in her second term she wants to work with other media “to address the urgent issues of polarization and distrust, which are undermining democratic and open societies.”
“I believe Canada’s public broadcaster has a unique role to play to address disinformation, build trust in verified and trusted news, and, most importantly, to foster Canadian conversations in English, French and Indigenous languages.”
Conservative MPs and experts, including Michael Geist, the University of Ottawa’s Canada Research Chair in internet law, have questioned why CBC should be one of the main beneficiaries of the online news bill, which would make Google and Facebook compensate news organizations for posting links to their work. The Parliamentary Budget Officer calculated that CBC and other big broadcasters stand to gain the lion’s share of funds.
At a Senate committee earlier this week, Paul Deegan, President and CEO of News Media Canada, which represents the news industry, said the publicly funded broadcaster is competing with private news organizations for scarce ad dollars and should be free of commercial advertising.