Filings with the United States’ Federal Election Commission (FEC) show that CBC CEO Catherine Tait donated to the presidential campaign of Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Tait’s contribution record lists Brooklyn, New York as her residence and the production company she founded in 2002, Duopoly Inc., as her employer, raising questions about the CBC CEO’s relationship to the United States.
She was first appointed as president and CEO of the public broadcaster in 2018, nearly two years after she made the $150 donation.
CBC has recently come under public scrutiny after it was labeled a “government-funded media” outlet by Twitter CEO Elon Musk shortly after a request from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
In response to the label, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Poilievre for running to “an American billionaire” by criticizing the CBC.
“When they’re trying to attack a foundational Canadian institution, the fact that he has to run to American billionaires for support to attack Canadians says a lot about Mr. Poilievre and his values,” said Trudeau.
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen has also called Musk’s Canadian citizenship into question on Twitter.
Yet at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tait’s own status as a Canadian citizen was also brought into question after the online outlet Canadaland published an article revealing how the CBC CEO owned a $5.4 million residence in Brooklyn, New York with her husband.
It was also revealed how Tait regularly traveled to the United States, despite pandemic-related travel restrictions being in place at the time.
According to CBC, Tait was required to take a second residence in Canada in order to comply with the broadcaster’s requirements.
