EX-99.2 3 a2024-q1xfinancials.htm BCE INC. 2024 FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Document

Exhibit 99.2
Consolidated financial statements

Table of contents
























45



Consolidated income statements
For the period ended March 31
(in millions of Canadian dollars, except share amounts) (unaudited)Note20242023
Operating revenues36,011 6,054 
Operating costs3,4(3,446)(3,516)
Severance, acquisition and other costs5(229)(49)
Depreciation(946)(918)
Amortization(316)(283)
Finance costs
Interest expense(416)(344)
Net return on post-employment benefit plans1016 27 
Impairment of assets6(13)(34)
Other (expense) income7(38)121 
Income taxes(166)(270)
Net earnings457 788 
Net earnings attributable to:
Common shareholders 402 725 
Preferred shareholders47 46 
Non-controlling interest8 17 
Net earnings457 788 
Net earnings per common share - basic and diluted80.44 0.79
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic (millions)912.3 912.1 


46    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



Consolidated statements of comprehensive income
For the period ended March 31
(in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)Note20242023
Net earnings457 788 
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of income taxes
Items that will be subsequently reclassified to net earnings
Net change in value of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, net of income taxes of ($28) million and ($21) million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
78 58 
Items that will not be reclassified to net earnings
Actuarial gains (losses) on post-employment benefit plans, net of income taxes of ($115) million and $47 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively(1)
10314 (127)
Net change in value of publicly-traded and privately-held investments, net of income taxes of nil and ($3) million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
(9)17 
Net change in value of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, net of income taxes of ($6) million and ($2) million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively
16 
Other comprehensive income (loss)399 (46)
Total comprehensive income856 742 
Total comprehensive income attributable to:
   Common shareholders800 679 
   Preferred shareholders47 46 
Non-controlling interest9 17 
Total comprehensive income856 742 
(1)The discount rate used to value our post-employment benefit obligations at March 31, 2024 was 4.9% compared to 4.6% at December 31, 2023. The discount rate used to value our post-employment benefit obligations at March 31, 2023 was 5.0% compared to 5.3% at December 31, 2022.

47



Consolidated statements of financial position
(in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)NoteMarch 31, 2024December 31, 2023
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash 789 547 
Cash equivalents171 225 
Short-term investments700 1,000 
Trade and other receivables3,929 4,031 
Inventory458 465 
Contract assets435 443 
Contract costs704 633 
Prepaid expenses385 230 
Other current assets274 264 
Assets held for sale55 60 
Total current assets7,900 7,898 
Non-current assets
Contract assets272 292 
Contract costs744 779 
Property, plant and equipment30,357 30,352 
Intangible assets16,770 16,609 
Deferred tax assets121 96 
Investments in associates and joint ventures322 323 
Post-employment benefit assets103,285 2,935 
Other non-current assets1,799 1,714 
Goodwill10,997 10,942 
Total non-current assets64,667 64,042 
Total assets72,567 71,940 
LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Trade payables and other liabilities 4,345 4,729 
Contract liabilities817 811 
Interest payable335 332 
Dividends payable938 910 
Current tax liabilities170 268 
Debt due within one year6,386 5,042 
Liabilities held for sale15 15 
Total current liabilities13,006 12,107 
Non-current liabilities
Contract liabilities277 277 
Long-term debt31,283 31,135 
Deferred tax liabilities4,981 4,869 
Post-employment benefit obligations101,227 1,278 
Other non-current liabilities1,421 1,717 
Total non-current liabilities39,189 39,276 
Total liabilities52,195 51,383 
EQUITY
Equity attributable to BCE shareholders
Preferred shares123,614 3,667 
Common shares20,859 20,859 
Contributed surplus1,241 1,258 
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)46 (42)
Deficit(5,711)(5,513)
Total equity attributable to BCE shareholders20,049 20,229 
Non-controlling interest323 328 
Total equity20,372 20,557 
Total liabilities and equity72,567 71,940 
48    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



Consolidated statements of changes in equity
Attributable to BCE shareholders
For the period ended March 31, 2024 (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)NotePreferred sharesCommon sharesContri-buted surplusAccum-ulated other compre-hensive (loss) incomeDeficitTotalNon-controlling interestTotal equity
Balance at December 31, 20233,667 20,859 1,258 (42)(5,513)20,229 328 20,557 
Net earnings    449 449 8 457 
Other comprehensive income   84 314 398 1 399 
Total comprehensive income   84 763 847 9 856 
Other share-based compensation   (32) (3)(35) (35)
Repurchase of preferred shares12 (53) 15   (38) (38)
Dividends declared on BCE common
    and preferred shares
    (958)(958) (958)
Dividends declared by subsidiaries
    to non-controlling interest
      (14)(14)
Settlement of cash flow hedges transferred to the cost basis of hedged items   4  4  4 
Balance at March 31, 20243,614 20,859 1,241 46 (5,711)20,049 323 20,372 


Attributable to BCE shareholders
For the period ended March 31, 2023 (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)Preferred sharesCommon sharesContri-buted surplusAccum-ulated other compre-hensive (loss) incomeDeficitTotalNon-controlling interestTotal equity
Balance at December 31, 20223,870 20,840 1,172 (55)(3,649)22,178 337 22,515 
Net earnings— — — — 771 771 17 788 
Other comprehensive income (loss)— — — 81 (127)(46)— (46)
Total comprehensive income— — — 81 644 725 17 742 
Common shares issued under employee
     stock option plan
— 11 (1)— — 10 — 10 
Other share-based compensation — — (4)— (9)(13)— (13)
Repurchase of preferred shares(43)— 12 — — (31)— (31)
Dividends declared on BCE common and
      preferred shares
— — — — (929)(929)— (929)
Dividends declared by subsidiaries to
     non-controlling interest
— — — — — — (21)(21)
Settlement of cash flow hedges transferred to the cost basis of hedged items— — — (6)— (6)— (6)
Other— — — (17)17 — — — 
Balance at March 31, 20233,827 20,851 1,179 (3,926)21,934 333 22,267 
49



Consolidated statements of cash flows
For the period ended March 31
(in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)Note2024 2023
Cash flows from operating activities
Net earnings457 788 
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash flows from operating activities
Severance, acquisition and other costs5229 49 
Depreciation and amortization1,262 1,201 
Post-employment benefit plans cost1044 31 
Net interest expense384 330 
Impairment of assets613 34 
Losses on investments6 — 
Income taxes166 270 
Contributions to post-employment benefit plans(18)(15)
Payments under other post-employment benefit plans (16)(15)
Severance and other costs paid(46)(25)
Interest paid(448)(439)
Income taxes paid (net of refunds)(335)(164)
Acquisition and other costs paid(15)— 
Change in contract assets28 45 
Change in wireless device financing plan receivables57 41 
Net change in operating assets and liabilities (636)(884)
Cash flows from operating activities1,132 1,247 
Cash flows used in investing activities
Capital expenditures (1,002)(1,086)
Short-term investments300 — 
Business acquisitions(82)(25)
Spectrum licences(104)(11)
Other investing activities(10)31 
Cash flows used in investing activities(898)(1,091)
Cash flows (used in) from financing activities
Increase (decrease) in notes payable979 (83)
Increase in securitized receivables 500 
Issue of long-term debt2,191 1,504 
Repayment of long-term debt(2,113)(299)
Repurchase of a financial liability (149)
Issue of common shares 10 
Purchase of shares for settlement of share-based payments(104)(93)
Repurchase of preferred shares12(38)(31)
Cash dividends paid on common shares(883)(839)
Cash dividends paid on preferred shares(46)(55)
Cash dividends paid by subsidiaries to non-controlling interest(14)(21)
Other financing activities(18)(8)
Cash flows (used in) from financing activities(46)436 
Net increase in cash242 552 
Cash at beginning of period547 99 
Cash at end of period789 651 
Net (decrease) increase in cash equivalents(54)40 
Cash equivalents at beginning of period225 50 
Cash equivalents at end of period171 90 
50    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



Notes to consolidated financial statements
These consolidated interim financial statements (financial statements) should be read in conjunction with BCE’s 2023 annual consolidated financial statements, approved by BCE’s board of directors on March 7, 2024.
These notes are unaudited.
We, us, our, BCE and the company mean, as the context may require, either BCE Inc. or, collectively, BCE Inc., Bell Canada, their subsidiaries, joint arrangements and associates.

Note 1     Corporate information
BCE is incorporated and domiciled in Canada. BCE’s head office is located at 1, Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell, Verdun, Québec, Canada. BCE is a communications company providing wireless, wireline, Internet and television (TV) services to residential, business and wholesale customers in Canada. Our Bell Media segment provides conventional TV, specialty TV, pay TV, streaming services, digital media services, radio broadcasting services and out-of-home (OOH) advertising services to customers in Canada.


Note 2     Basis of presentation and material accounting policies
These financial statements were prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), under International Accounting Standard (IAS) 34 - Interim Financial Reporting and were approved by BCE’s board of directors on May 1, 2024. These financial statements were prepared using the same basis of presentation, accounting policies and methods of computation as outlined in Note 2, Material accounting policies in our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.

These financial statements do not include all of the notes required in annual financial statements.
All amounts are in millions of Canadian dollars, except where noted.

Future changes in accounting standards
The following accounting standard issued by the IASB has not yet been adopted by BCE.
StandardDescriptionImpactEffective date
IFRS 18 - Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements
Sets out requirements and guidance on presentation and disclosure in financial statements, including:
presentation in the income statements of income and expenses within defined categories - operating, investing, financing, income taxes and discontinued operations
presentation in the income statements of new defined subtotals - operating profit and profit before financing and income taxes
disclosure of explanations of management-defined performance measures that are related to the income statements
enhanced guidance on aggregation and disaggregation of information and whether to provide information in the financial statements or in the notes
disclosure of specified expenses by nature
IFRS 18 replaces IAS 1 - Presentation of Financial Statements but carries forward many of the requirements from IAS 1 unchanged.
We are currently assessing the impact of this standard.Annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2027. Early application is permitted.


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Note 3     Segmented information
Our results are reported in two segments: Bell Communication and Technology Services (Bell CTS) and Bell Media. Our segments reflect how we manage our business and how we classify our operations for planning and measuring performance.
The following tables present financial information by segment for the three month periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.
For the three month period ended March 31, 2024NoteBell
CTS
Bell
Media
Inter-
segment
elimina-
tions
BCE
Operating revenues
     External service revenues4,550 642  5,192 
     Inter-segment service revenues6 83 (89) 
Operating service revenues4,556 725 (89)5,192 
External/Operating product revenues819   819 
    Total external revenues5,369 642  6,011 
    Total inter-segment revenues6 83 (89) 
Total operating revenues5,375 725 (89)6,011 
Operating costs4(2,927)(608)89 (3,446)
Adjusted EBITDA (1)
2,448 117  2,565 
Severance, acquisition and other costs5(229)
Depreciation and amortization(1,262)
Finance costs
   Interest expense(416)
   Net return on post-employment benefit plans1016 
Impairment of assets6(13)
Other expense7(38)
Income taxes(166)
Net earnings457 
(1) The chief operating decision maker uses primarily one measure of profit to make decisions and assess performance, being operating revenues less operating costs.
For the three month period ended March 31, 2023NoteBell
CTS
Bell
Media
Inter-
segment
elimina-
tions
BCE
Operating revenues
External service revenues4,528 694 — 5,222 
Inter-segment service revenues86 (93)— 
Operating service revenues4,535 780 (93)5,222 
External/Operating product revenues832 — — 832 
Total external revenues5,360 694 — 6,054 
Total inter-segment revenues86 (93)— 
Total operating revenues5,367 780 (93)6,054 
Operating costs4(2,961)(648)93 (3,516)
Adjusted EBITDA (1)
2,406 132 — 2,538 
Severance, acquisition and other costs5(49)
Depreciation and amortization (1,201)
Finance costs
Interest expense(344)
Net return on post-employment benefit plans1027 
Impairment of assets6(34)
Other income7121 
Income taxes(270)
Net earnings788 
(1) The chief operating decision maker uses primarily one measure of profit to make decisions and assess performance, being operating revenues less operating costs.
52    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



Revenues by services and products
For the period ended March 3120242023
Services(1)
Wireless1,774 1,723 
Wireline data2,012 2,001 
Wireline voice683 726 
Media642 694 
Other wireline services81 78 
Total services5,192 5,222 
Products(2)
Wireless684 626 
Wireline135 206 
Total products819 832 
Total operating revenues6,011 6,054 
(1)Our service revenues are generally recognized over time.
(2)Our product revenues are generally recognized at a point in time.

Note 4     Operating costs
For the period ended March 31Note20242023
Labour costs
Wages, salaries and related taxes and benefits(1,082)(1,102)
Post-employment benefit plans service cost (net of capitalized amounts)10(60)(58)
Other labour costs (1)
(246)(259)
Less:
Capitalized labour291 303 
Total labour costs(1,097)(1,116)
Cost of revenues (2)
(1,875)(1,954)
Other operating costs (3)
(474)(446)
Total operating costs(3,446)(3,516)
(1)Other labour costs include contractor and outsourcing costs.
(2)Cost of revenues includes costs of wireless devices and other equipment sold, network and content costs, and payments to other carriers.
(3)Other operating costs include marketing, advertising and sales commission costs, bad debt expense, taxes other than income taxes, information technology costs, professional service fees and rent.


Note 5     Severance, acquisition and other costs
For the period ended March 3120242023
Severance (234)(29)
Acquisition and other 5 (20)
Total severance, acquisition and other costs(229)(49)
Severance costs
Severance costs consist of charges related to involuntary and voluntary employee terminations, including costs of the previously announced workforce reductions incurred up to March 31, 2024.

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Acquisition and other costs
Acquisition and other costs consist of transaction costs, such as legal and financial advisory fees, related to completed or potential acquisitions, employee severance costs related to the purchase of a business, the costs to integrate acquired companies into our operations, costs relating to litigation and regulatory decisions, when they are significant, and other costs.

Note 6     Impairment of assets
Impairment charges for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023 of $13 million and $34 million, respectively, related mainly to right-of-use assets for certain office spaces we ceased using as part of our real estate optimization strategy as a result of our hybrid work policy.

Note 7     Other (expense) income
For the period ended March 3120242023
Net mark-to-market (losses) gains on derivatives used to economically hedge equity settled share-based compensation plans(90)18 
(Losses) gains on retirements and disposals of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets(7)47 
Losses on investments(6)— 
Interest income32 14 
Equity income from investments in associates and joint ventures
Operations15 18 
Other18 24 
Total other (expense) income (38)121 
Gains on disposals of property, plant and equipment
In Q1 2023, we sold land for total proceeds of $54 million and recorded a gain of $53 million as part of our real estate optimization strategy.

Note 8     Earnings per share
The following table shows the components used in the calculation of basic and diluted net earnings per common share for earnings attributable to common shareholders.
For the period ended March 3120242023
Net earnings attributable to common shareholders - basic402 725 
Dividends declared per common share (in dollars)0.99750.9675
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding (in millions)
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic912.3 912.1 
Assumed exercise of stock options (1)
 0.2 
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - diluted (in millions)912.3 912.3 
(1)The calculation of the assumed exercise of stock options includes the effect of the average unrecognized future compensation cost of dilutive options. It excludes options for which the exercise price is higher than the average market value of a BCE common share. The number of excluded options was 6,599,815 for the first quarter of 2024, compared to 3,250,443 for the first quarter of 2023.




54    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



Note 9     Debt
On February 15, 2024, Bell Canada issued, under its 2016 trust indenture, 5.200% Series US-9 Notes, with a principal amount of $700 million in U.S. dollars ($942 million in Canadian dollars), which mature on February 15, 2034. The Series US-9 Notes have been hedged for foreign currency fluctuations with cross currency interest rate swaps. Additionally, on the same date, Bell Canada issued, under its 2016 trust indenture, 5.550% Series US-10 Notes, with a principal amount of $750 million in U.S. dollars ($1,009 million in Canadian dollars), which mature on February 15, 2054. The Series US-10 Notes have been hedged for foreign currency fluctuations with cross currency interest rate swaps and in addition, $336 million in Canadian dollars have been hedged for changes in fair value with interest rate swaps. See Note 11, Financial assets and liabilities, for additional details.

The Series US-9 and US-10 Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by BCE.

In Q1 2024, Bell Canada reclassified its 2.75% Series M-49 medium-term note (MTN) debentures with a total principal amount of $600 million and its 3.35% Series M-47 MTN debentures with a total principal amount of $1,500 million, which mature on January 29, 2025 and March 12, 2025, respectively, from long-term debt to debt due within one year.

Note 10 Post-employment benefit plans
Post-employment benefit plans cost
We provide pension and other benefits for most of our employees. These include defined benefit (DB) pension plans, defined contribution (DC) pension plans and other post-employment benefits (OPEBs).
Components of post-employment benefit plans service cost
For the period ended March 3120242023
DB pension(33)(32)
DC pension (43)(38)
Less:
Capitalized benefit plans cost16 12 
Total post-employment benefit plans service cost(60)(58)
Components of post-employment benefit plans financing income
For the period ended March 3120242023
DB pension 24 37 
OPEBs(8)(10)
Total net return on post-employment benefit plans16 27 










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Note 11 Financial assets and liabilities
Fair value
The following table provides the fair value details of financial instruments measured at amortized cost in the statements of financial position.
  March 31, 2024December 31, 2023
ClassificationFair value methodologyCarrying valueFair valueCarrying valueFair value
Debt securities
and other debt
Debt due within one year and long-term debtQuoted market price of debt30,021 28,607 29,049 28,225 

The following table provides the fair value details of financial instruments measured at fair value in the statements of financial position.
Fair value
  ClassificationCarrying value of asset (liability) Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (level 1)
Observable market data (level 2)(1)
Non-observable market inputs (level 3)(2)
March 31, 2024       
Publicly-traded and privately-held investments (3)
Other non-current assets582 7  575 
Derivative financial instrumentsOther current assets, trade payables and other liabilities, other non-current assets and liabilities(292) (292) 
OtherTrade payables and other liabilities and other non-current assets 145  217 (72)
December 31, 2023    
Publicly-traded and privately-held investments (3)
Other non-current assets587 10 — 577 
Derivative financial instrumentsOther current assets, trade payables and other liabilities, other non-current assets and liabilities(488)— (488)— 
OtherOther non-current assets and liabilities147 — 216 (69)
(1)Observable market data such as equity prices, interest rates, swap rate curves and foreign currency exchange rates.
(2)Non-observable market inputs such as discounted cash flows and revenue and earnings multiples. For certain privately-held investments, changes in our valuation assumption relating to revenue and earnings multiples may result in a significant increase (decrease) in the fair value of our level 3 financial instruments.
(3)Unrealized gains and losses are recorded in Other comprehensive income (loss) in the statements of comprehensive income and are reclassified from Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to the Deficit in the statements of financial position when realized.
Market risk
Currency exposures
In 2024, we entered into cross currency interest rate swaps with a notional amount of $700 million in U.S. dollars ($942 million in Canadian dollars) to hedge the U.S. currency exposure of our US-9 Notes maturing in 2034. The fair value of the cross currency interest rate swaps at March 31, 2024 was a net liability of $2 million recognized in Other current assets and Other non-current liabilities in the statements of financial position. See Note 9, Debt, for additional details.
In 2024, we entered into cross currency interest rate swaps with a notional amount of $750 million in U.S. dollars ($1,009 million in Canadian dollars) to hedge the U.S. currency exposure of our US-10 Notes maturing in 2054. In
56    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT



connection with these swaps, cross currency basis rate swaps outstanding at December 31, 2023 with a notional amount of $644 million were settled. The fair value of the cross currency interest rate swaps at March 31, 2024 was a net liability of $8 million recognized in Other current assets, Other non-current assets, and Other non-current liabilities in the statements of financial position. See Note 9, Debt, for additional details.
In 2024, we entered into cross currency interest rate swaps with a notional amount of $180 million in U.S. dollars ($242 million in Canadian dollars) to hedge the U.S. currency exposure of outstanding loans maturing in 2026 under our Bell Mobility uncommitted trade loan agreement. The fair value of the cross currency interest rate swaps at March 31, 2024 was a net asset of $1 million recognized in Other current assets, Other non-current assets and Other non-current liabilities in the statements of financial position.
A 10% depreciation (appreciation) in the value of the Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar would result in a gain of $17 million (loss of $73 million) recognized in net earnings at March 31, 2024 and a gain of $142 million (loss of $140 million) recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) at March 31, 2024, with all other variables held constant.
The following table provides further details on our outstanding foreign currency forward contracts and options at March 31, 2024.
Type of hedgeBuy
currency
Amount to receiveSell
currency
Amount
to pay
MaturityHedged item
Cash flow (1)
USD1,191 CAD1,608 2024Loans
Cash flowUSD905 CAD1,203 2024Commercial paper
Cash flowUSD489 CAD622 2024Anticipated purchases
Cash flowPHP2,173 CAD52 2024Anticipated purchases
Cash flowUSD563 CAD734 2025Anticipated purchases
Cash flowUSD180 CAD242 2026Anticipated purchases
EconomicUSD115 CAD151 2024Anticipated purchases
Economic - options (2)
USD45 CAD61 2024Anticipated purchases
Economic - call optionsUSD184 CAD232 2024Anticipated purchases
Economic - call optionsCAD168 USD117 2024Anticipated purchases
Economic - put optionsUSD435 CAD566 2024Anticipated purchases
EconomicUSD120 CAD158 2025 Anticipated purchases
Economic - options (2)
USD65 CAD85 2025 Anticipated purchases
Economic - call optionsUSD540 CAD694 2025 Anticipated purchases
Economic - put options USD540 CAD698 2025 Anticipated purchases
(1) Forward contracts to hedge loans secured by receivables under our securitization program.
(2) Foreign currency options with a leverage provision and a profit cap limitation.
Interest rate exposures
In 2024, we entered into forward starting interest rate swaps, effective from 2026, with a notional amount of $336 million to hedge the fair value of our US-10 Notes maturing in 2054. The fair value of the interest rate swaps at March 31, 2024 was an asset of $4 million recognized in Other non-current assets in the statements of financial position. See Note 9, Debt, for additional details.
A 1% increase (decrease) in interest rates would result in a loss (gain) of $6 million recognized in net earnings for the three months ended March 31, 2024, with all other variables held constant.
Equity price exposures
We use equity forward contracts on BCE’s common shares to hedge economically the cash flow exposure related to the settlement of equity settled share-based compensation plans. The fair value of our equity forward contracts at March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was a net liability of $239 million and $162 million, respectively, recognized in Other current assets, Trade payables and other liabilities and Other non-current liabilities in the statements of financial position. A (loss) gain of ($90 million) and $18 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, relating to these equity forward contracts is recognized in Other (expense) income in the income statements.
A 5% increase (decrease) in the market price of BCE’s common shares would result in a gain (loss) of $25 million recognized in net earnings at March 31, 2024, with all other variables held constant.
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Note 12 Share capital
Normal course issuer Bid for BCE First Preferred Shares
In Q1 2024, BCE repurchased and canceled 2,113,588 First Preferred Shares with a stated capital of $53 million for a total cost of $38 million. The remaining $15 million was recorded to contributed surplus.
Note 13 Share-based payments
The following share-based payment amounts are included in the income statements as operating costs.
For the period ended March 3120242023
Restricted share units (RSUs) and performance share units (PSUs)(25)(34)
Employee savings plan and deferred share units(9)(9)
Total share-based payments(34)(43)
The following tables summarize the change in outstanding RSUs/PSUs and stock options for the period ended March 31, 2024.

RSUs/PSUs
Number of
RSUs/PSUs
Outstanding, January 1, 20243,412,812 
Granted1,123,985 
Dividends credited 59,526 
Settled(1,249,941)
Forfeited (6,756)
Outstanding, March 31, 20243,339,626 

Stock options
Number of optionsWeighted average exercise price ($)
Outstanding, January 1, 20247,484,561 61 
Forfeited or expired(884,746)59 
Outstanding and exercisable, March 31, 20246,599,815 61 













58    BCE Inc. 2024 FIRST QUARTER SHAREHOLDER REPORT