CBC/Radio-Canada layoffs: Public broadcaster cutting 600 jobs nationwide

CBC/Radio-Canada has announced that it will lay off 600 employees nationwide at the beginning of the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

CBC and Radio Canada’s CEO Catherine Tait told employees about the mass layoffs during a meeting on Monday. The layoffs will impact union members (85%) and non-union workers (15%) across the organization. At least 250 positions will be eliminated on the French-speaking side of the broadcaster, according to a statement issued on Monday.

“CBC/Radio-Canada is not immune to the upheaval facing the Canadian media industry,” said Tait. “We’ve successfully managed serious structural declines in our business for many years, but we no longer have the flexibility to do so without reductions.”

The corporation faces budget cuts of $125 million, stating that the cuts are due to inflation, “fierce competition from digital giants,” and dwindling television ad revenue.

A CBC employee who attended Monday’s meeting but asked to remain anonymous told Daily Hive they were told the bulk of cuts would happen in the spring, and about 200 current job vacancies would not be filled as a result of the cutbacks. Staff were not told what newsrooms, provinces or sections would be targeted by the layoffs.

“Each division will begin phasing-in reductions based on their business plans and operational requirements,” reads the statement. “Some will begin immediately; most will take effect over the next 12 months.”

In October, Michel Bissonnette, senior vice president of French Services at Radio-Canada, made headlines when he resigned, and his departure was soon followed by a hiring freeze.

News of the upcoming announcement of the layoffs started circulating online on Sunday, prompting Tait to apologize to employees that the news leaked into the media before they were informed, according to the French-language publication LaPresse.

People called the news “shocking,” with many upset by the timing of the announcement close to the holidays.

#BREAKING: CBC/Radio-Canada employees will have a virtual meeting on Monday with CEO Catherine Tait. Between 600 and 700 employees are expected to be laid off across the country, 300 just in Quebec.

So much for a ‘Merry Christmas!”

via Marty Forbes

— Stefan Ottenbrite (@StefanM411) December 4, 2023

The CBC is going to be one of those “ya don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” kind of things. Despite all the problems, it knits this big, fractious country together and it’s the nearest thing we have to impartial broadcast news.

— Jack Todd (@jacktodd46) December 4, 2023

This would be shocking.
For those who don’t know though, Radio-Canada accounts for about 40% of the CBC budget so it shouldn’t surprise they would have big layoff numbers. https://t.co/vyepblGWD0

— Brian Lilley (@brianlilley) December 4, 2023

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