CBC Chief Defends Workplace Culture, News Balance in Testimony Before MPs

CBC President Marie-Philippe Bouchard waits to appear before a Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa, on Oct. 20, 2025. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby

CBC President Marie-Philippe Bouchard defended her network against accusations of bias and toxic workplace culture, saying the network is “striving to be balanced” and that most staff have a “widely positive” experience in working for the publicly funded broadcaster.

Bouchard’s comments came Oct. 20 as she testified before the parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa, responding to questions and concerns from MPs about CBC’s editorial practices, workplace culture, and vision for the future.

“We are independent from all government interference in terms of editorial direction and creative freedom,” Bouchard said in her testimony. “We strive to be balanced. Are we always, every minute of every day, managing that? It’s impossible to do that ... but overall, we are striving to be balanced.”

Conservative MP Rachael Thomas, her party’s critic on the file, said in early July that the Conservative Party was demanding “immediate” committee hearings regarding the situation of former CBC anchor Travis Dhanraj, who brought a human rights complaint against the network on Sept. 10.

In his complaint, Dhanraj alleges he was racially discriminated against as a “token” minority, pressured to accept editorial bias, and retaliated against for speaking out, all of which he says led to him announce his resignation in early July.

Dhanraj made news last spring for inviting former CBC President Catherine Tait onto the show he formerly hosted to discuss the network’s executive bonus structure in the context of CBC layoffs, a request that Tait turned down.

CBC has said it rejects Dhanraj’s “false claims” of mistreatment and wrongdoing and is “dismayed by these attacks on our hosts and newsroom leaders.”

CBC and Conservatives

When asked by Thomas on Oct. 20 about the truthfulness of Dhanraj’s allegations, Bouchard said she would offer no comment, but went on to say that employees, including herself, routinely report “widely positive” experiences in working at CBC.

“So as CEO, you have not [looked into his complaints yourself], but you have simply allowed others to do that work for you?” Thomas asked.

Bouchard said she would reserve most of her comments due to the pending human rights tribunal case over the Dhanraj matter.

“Unfortunately, I’m limited in the comments that I can make, because we are going to hear the evidence at that tribunal,” said Bouchard, adding that “one individual’s claims does not make a whole organization’s culture.”

Thomas also asked Bouchard why she thought Conservatives are “not welcome at the CBC,” referencing a leaked recording in which Dhanraj allegedly asks CBC management why it was difficult for CBC to get interviews with Conservatives.

“I would say Conservatives are quite welcome at the CBC,” Bouchard said. “In fact, they are interviewed regularly.”

When asked to name five Conservatives interviewed in the past two weeks, Bouchard said she couldn’t answer at the moment, but agreed to submit the relevant information to the committee by Oct. 30.

Liberal MP Zoe Royer also asked Bouchard to provide information as to how many Conservatives have been invited on CBC but declined to come on.

Measuring Value

Bouchard said that CBC measures the public value it provides by looking at how many people it reaches, how they spend their time consuming CBC content, if the network is perceived as having “fairness” and “diversity,” and how the network helps boost Canada’s creative industries.

Defending against further questions around bias, Bouchard said she is confident in CBC’s integrity and editorial balance.

“We get verification of our independence through the Journalism Trust Initiative that certifies organizations worldwide as to their independence,” Bouchard said.

“All the framework around CBC, from its governance to ... the span of regulation that the CRTC [Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications Commission] exercises, that it is there to safeguard the independence of the corporation.”

Future Plans

In her remarks, Bouchard outlined a three-pronged approach for CBC in the coming years built on “proximity, digital agility, and bringing people together.”

She explained this plan as being focused on hiring journalists in more rural locations and covering issues important to all Canadians, making CBC content easy to access across platforms, and “creating opportunities for shared Canadian experiences” in order to bring people together, including partnering with organizations like the Indigenous Screen Office and Black Screen Office, which promote hiring indigenous and black individuals in screen industries.

“We want to help people overcome any challenges that ... might be in the way so that they can reach various positions or develop their skills,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard pointed to CBC’s seven international bureaus and “digital services used by 20 million Canadians each month” as evidence that the network is performing a vital role for the country in informing and entertaining, though she added that several Western provinces don’t have the level of trust for CBC that she would like to see.

“Alberta and Saskatchewan are areas where we need to invest,” Bouchard said. “The level of trust is not as high as we would like.”

Recent polling by Angus Reid showed that a plurality of Canadians (44 percent) believe CBC is becoming less relevant compared to the past. The public broadcaster says its share of TV audiences is 4.6 percent, compared to CTV’s 8.8 percent and Global’s 9.8 percent. “Looking at only TV viewing doesn’t give the full picture of how many people rely on CBC every day. More than 20 million Canadians use CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital services each month,” CBC says.

Bouchard was also asked about the broadcaster’s court action to refuse an order by the information commissioner to disclose the number of subscribers of CBC’s Gem streaming service.

“Are you embarrassed about the numbers of CBC Gem? Why don’t you come out and just say ‘Here’s the numbers we got,’?” Conservative MP Kevin Waugh asked.

Bouchard said 5 million people have created an account, but declined to say how many are paid subscribers.

“The number of people who are paying is a number we keep confidential for competitive reasons, and it is validated by the CRTC. So we’re asking the court to simply reconcile these two interpretations that are contradictory,” Bouchard said.

Divide

A July 2024 poll from Pollara Strategic Insights found that only 16 percent of Conservative voters often got their news from CBC, compared to 43 percent of Liberal voters, and found that a lower percentage of people polled in rural areas trust CBC compared to those in urban areas.

“I’m not oblivious to the fact that some people claim there is bias,“ Bouchard said. ”But that’s not our policy, that’s not our practice.”

Bouchard also commented on online disinformation, saying CBC needs to resist online algorithms that are pushing “the extremes” and taking away oxygen from “open dialogue” that should be taking place. She said that CBC has a key role in helping to create a “civilized and civic discourse around the news.”

CBC’s future was a key issue in the last federal election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney vowing $150 million in additional funding and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre saying he would defund CBC but keep Radio-Canada, the broadcaster’s French-language arm. CBC/Radio-Canada took in $1.38 billion in federal funding for the fiscal year 2024–2025.