Hands off: That’s the CBC’s message to the federal government concerning a new budget bill that could limit salaries at the Crown agency. 

In a letter to the Commons Committee on Finance, CBC chief executive Hubert Lacroix says the budget implementation bill – which requires government agencies to seek government approval in salary negotiations – interferes with the broadcaster’s independence. He also says the bill is a violation of the Broadcasting Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If changes aren’t made to the bill, Lacroix warns the corporation may take legal action, saying in the letter that failure to act “could potentially embroil the government, our corporation, and its unions in litigation.”

However, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the bill will remain as is. “All Crown agencies have a responsibility through ministers, back to Parliament, to the people of Canada. They can’t do whatever they want, particularly with taxpayers money. They can’t just go off and pay their executives and pay everybody else whatever they want to pay them,” says Flaherty.

[via Vancouver Sun]

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Josh Sherman is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @joshuaxsherman.

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