Reports indicate that the Liberal government is set to update the mandate of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation following a review and will soon appoint a new CEO.
Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge is likely to announce changes coming to CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate in November.
This is according to a senior government official who spoke with CBC News on the condition of anonymity.
The heritage minister previously said in a statement that Canada needs “a strong public broadcaster that connects and informs us coast-to-coast-to-coast.”
“I am looking forward to soon announcing important steps that will help modernize CBC/Radio-Canada. This is what we committed to Canadians and what Canadians expect,” reads the statement.
“Like the rest of the news and information sector, the public broadcaster is facing a significant drop in commercial revenue due to the dominant role of foreign tech giants in the ad market. As a government, we are working toward strengthening our independent public broadcaster.”
According to the source, the government is in the final stages of drafting what appears to be considerable regulatory and legislative changes to the broadcaster.
The changes will be directed at helping CBC/Radio-Canada adapt to the ever-changing news and media world.
The CBC’s current mandate was last drafted in 1991 and hasn’t been updated since the advent of the internet, which seismically altered the media landscape.
In addition to the mandate changes, the government is expected to name a new CEO as part of its restructuring as Catherine Tait’s position as the current CEO is slated to end in January. In June 2023, the Liberal government reappointed Tait to lead the CBC for another 18 months, saying that they would initiate a review to find her replacement upon the completion of the term.
According to the government official, the next CEO will be a “changemaker” who will be selected to operate in a manner that is not business as usual.
“This person could feasibly be a key player in whether CBC lives or dies at some point,” the official told CBC News.
The official said that the new mandate changes may demand more resources, which will also require the government to address the issue of CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly pledged to defund the CBC if elected while sustaining the Crown corporation’s French operations through Radio-Canada.
“I can’t wait to defund the CBC and sell off the headquarters for housing,” said Poilievre this summer in response to news that the state broadcaster approved another round of bonuses for its executives and non-unionized staff.
The decision was quietly approved in July, despite recent layoffs and struggling viewership. It was also announced only days after the House of Commons rose for summer recess.
The CBC laid off 141 employees and eliminated 205 vacant positions last year, while also giving bonuses to 1,194 employees.
The taxpayer-funded broadcaster received around $1.3 billion from the Trudeau government last year and generated about $515 million of its revenue through advertising, investments and subscriptions.
The government official noted that the new changes are also aimed at restoring Canadians’ trust in the CBC, especially among the growing cohort of people who wish to see the broadcaster finished altogether.
“The CBC belongs to everybody and that includes people who don’t use it every day or who don’t say they need it,” said the official.
“Those people need to see this place is going to be trustworthy and the changes are designed to reinforce the trust level.”
