Catherine Tait Says CBC Needs New Financial Model, Not New Mandate

The head of Canada’s public broadcaster says it’s the financial model and governance of CBC/Radio-Canada that need reviewing—not its mandate.

Catherine Tait made the comments on Feb. 2 to a room of industry insiders at Prime Time, a conference for the broadcasting, film and media industry.

Ms. Tait is pushing for a long-term financial structure such as a charter, similar to that at the BBC, which has a six-year funding agreement with the U.K. government.

She says CBC gets its annual funding based on the parliamentary cycle, leaving the broadcaster in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

The Opposition Conservatives have vowed to defund CBC given the chance, a move Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge says would be a bad for Canadian culture.

Ms. Tait says a long-term planning structure would allow the CBC to plan for the future, including investing more in digital.