Tory MP Demands CBC Reveal Expenses

Questions could require broadcaster to hand over how much it pays for Rick Mercer, foreign bureaus, and basically anything else Sun Media hates.

Conservative MP Brent Rathgeber introduced four motions in Parliament today calling on the CBC to hand over the salary details of its most prominent employees as well as how much the broadcaster spends on its foreign bureaus and on American programs like Jeopardy!. Since Rathberger's questions have been placed on the House of Commons' Order paper for Friday, CBC will have up to 45 days to respond. It's a tactic that's meant to work faster than the access-to-information requests filed by Quebecor journalists, which have led to a court battle and much acrimony between the public broadcaster, the Conservative government, and Quebecor's Sun Media reporters. Rathgeber's questions will demand that CBC reveal the salaries of George Strombolopolous, Peter Mansbridge, and President Hubert Lacroix, as well as their hospitality and travel expenses; how much it pays for food, drink, hotels, and more at its foreign bureaus in London, Paris, Washington, and Rome; how much Rick Mercer gets paid, and whether the CBC held an open tender for his show, The Rick Mercer Report; how much the CBC pays for Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and American movies; and how many employees make more than $100,000/ year.

Given all this, feel free to take a look at Rathgeber's expenses from the last year and let us know if you think we're getting our money's worth for him.

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An Unwarranted Attack on the CBC