“There is a lot of CBC bashing going on, somewhat stoked by the leader of the Opposition (Pierre Poilievre),” Catherine Tait, president of the CBC, told the Globe and Mail in a recent interview. Ms. Tait has demonstrated a failure to understand the appropriate role of a Crown corporation president. Senior officials, especially deputy ministers and Crown corporation presidents, are supposed to have political acuity. How should Crown corporation leaders conduct themselves in dealing with an attack on their organization from a member of Parliament? The substance and the tenor of Macklem’s remarks are appropriate for a Crown corporation head when responding to a politician’s criticism.
