Veteran Quebec TV exec Marie-Philippe Bouchard named new CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada

A seasoned Quebec television executive says she's up for the "challenge" of keeping CBC/Radio-Canada relevant after being appointed its next president and CEO.

Marie-Philippe Bouchard says she looks forward to "charting the path forward" at Canada's public broadcaster, which is still grappling with controversy over executive bonuses doled out amid layoffs under outgoing boss Catherine Tait.

In announcing the appointment Tuesday, Heritage Canada said Bouchard will be the first francophone woman to head CBC/Radio-Canada when she begins a five-year term on Jan. 3, 2025.

Bouchard said she considers "public service media" around the world to be "a precious public asset."

"As society changes at a fast pace, so must our public broadcaster, continuing to build trust in order to remain relevant to all Canadians," Bouchard said in a media statement.

In a statement, Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge touted Bouchard as "a talented, strong public broadcasting leader with a proven record of transformation."

Bouchard has been president and CEO of TV5 Quebec Canada since 2016 and previously worked in various management positions at the CBC in legal services, strategic planning and regulatory affairs, digital services and music.

Bouchard replaces Tait, who has been president of the CBC since 2018 and continues to draw fire over executive bonuses and the broader challenges of restoring public trust in the broadcaster.

At a hearing of the Commons heritage committee on Monday, Tait defended spending more than $18 million in performance-based pay to staff this year, despite laying off 141 employees and eliminating 205 vacant positions amid a budget shortfall.

Tait said she believes members of the parliamentary Heritage committee have been using her appearances to "vilify" and "discredit" both her and the public broadcaster.

She pushed back against Conservative demands to forgo a financial exit package, including bonuses, when she steps down in January.

Bouchard was part of a committee St-Onge set up last May to modernize the mandate of CBC/Radio-Canada, which employs more than 7,000 people from "a multitude of backgrounds and cultures," according to its latest annual report.

The findings of that review have not been released yet.

Like many broadcasters, the CBC has been struggling with declining ad revenue and shrinking audiences as digital platforms increasingly dominate the media landscape.

Its 2023-2024 annual report said trends over the last decade indicate that its traditional TV and radio audiences will "continue to erode as younger Canadians embrace digital technologies."

St. Onge said she's confident Bouchard will "provide a steady hand" for the CBC in "a critical time of modernization."