The announcement of the departure of Michel Bissonnette, senior vice-president of French services at Radio-Canada, sent a real shock wave through the new Maison de Radio-Canada on avenue Papineau.
This news, which took all employees by surprise – they who expect to experience significant budget cuts – raises a lot of concerns.
And questions.
The withdrawal of Michel Bissonnette, as sudden as it is mysterious, is not only that of a leader, but of an ally who was able to show that he could remain standing to defend the interests of journalists and freedom of expression .
Did Michel Bissonnette really resign of his own free will or was he asked to resign? This is the question that everyone has been asking since the story was reported Monday evening by The sun And The Press before being confirmed Tuesday morning by the office of Catherine Tait, CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada.
The note sent to employees does not allow us to see any more clearly. We can read that it was “a decision taken after careful consideration” and following “discussions which led to an agreement between us”.
Agreement ?
When a person who plays as important a role as Michel Bissonnette within a public institution makes the decision to leave because of decisional differences, ideological reasons or for personal reasons, he leaves. There is no agreement to be made.
Sources told me that this decision, taken recently, is not that of Michel Bissonnette, and that he is leaving the state company with certain bitterness.
It is known that the position adopted by senior management at CBC/Radio-Canada in the “N-word” affair created a divide between a majority of French-speakers at Radio-Canada and English-speakers at the CBC. Michel Bissonnette found himself on the edge of this ditch.
Blamed by the CRTC following a column broadcast on the show 15-18 in August 2020 during which the test White Negroes of America was cited (for justified reasons) four times, CBC∕Radio-Canada apologized, but at the same time appealed the decision in order to show that it is not up to the CRTC to endorse positions who report to newsroom bosses.
During this affair, I learned that the idea of contesting the blame was led by French-speaking leaders of the state corporation. This was confirmed to me by Michel Bissonnette during a long interview I had with him in September 2022.
This difference in point of view has become obvious even to the vice-president. “I felt that it was something that could be experienced differently between English speakers in Canada and French speakers in Quebec,” he told me.
He also added that there was a perception on the CBC side that the “word that starts with N” was used indiscriminately by French-speaking hosts and columnists, when that is absolutely not the case.
Michel Bissonnette and his acolytes were right to challenge the CRTC’s decision, because the Federal Court of Appeal overturned it last June while writing that “the CRTC exceeded its jurisdiction and committed legal errors.”
The announcement of Michel Bissonnette’s departure is all the more surprising given that for several months, influential people have been whispering in my ear that he could (and should) be an excellent candidate to succeed Catherine Tait.
I completely share this point of view. With his extensive experience in the television industry (he co-founded Zone 3) and his ability to surround himself well, I believe he would have made an excellent president.
Since his arrival at Radio-Canada in January 2017, the listening ratings of ICI Première and ICI Musique radio stations have continued to skyrocket. As for television, the successes are also there. In its 2022-2023 annual report, the Canada Media Fund published the list of shows that crossed the million viewer mark over the past year.
While only two English-speaking Canadian productions have achieved this feat (yes, you read that correctly), 29 shows produced in French achieve this objective. Of this number, 14 are productions broadcast on Radio-Canada.
This calculation based on audience ratings may seem trivial. But the enormous success of French broadcasts is at the heart of an old debate on the sharing of funding granted to productions for the whole country. This is good for the Media Fund, for Telefilm Canada, but also for CBC/Radio-Canada, whose budget is divided as follows: 55% to CBC and 45% to Radio-Canada.
This factor should also be taken into consideration when it comes time to make budget cuts.
Exactly, I’m coming to this subject.
Like other federal crown corporations, CBC/Radio-Canada should, unless there is a change in the situation, reduce its spending starting next year. This reality is attributable to declining advertising and subscription revenues.
The application of these cuts could be part of the reasons which explain the departure of Michel Bissonnette. Did the vice-president agree with the decisions we are about to make and the means we wish to use to achieve these cuts?
No great leader likes to do this kind of operation when it does not conform to his ideas and vision.
Again, you have to stand up.