Former CBC journalist Travis Dhanraj described a “toxic culture” of bullying, tokenism, and editorial bias at the public broadcaster during testimony before a House of Commons committee.
The former host of the “Canada Tonight” program named individuals at the CBC who he says engaged in intimidation, censorship, and editorial strong-arming.
“This is not about left or right,” Dhanraj told MPs in his testimony before the House Committee on Canadian Heritage on March 10. “It’s about systemic control, tokenism, selective enforcement, and a toxic culture where intimidation went unchecked.”
Dhanraj’s testimony was part of the committee’s broader discussion on the state of journalism in Canada and the funding of the CBC, which receives over $1.4 billion per year in taxpayer funds.
“If it is to endure as a public broadcaster worthy of Canadians’ trust, it must be strong enough to withstand accountability,” Dhanraj said.
The CBC is denying Dharanj’s allegations, characterizing his comments as misleading.
Removal and Resignation
Dhanraj was a general assignment reporter for CBC Edmonton and CBC Toronto in the early 2000s before leaving for positions at other networks. He returned to CBC in 2021 as a senior parliamentary reporter and later hosted “Marketplace” and “Canada Tonight.”He said he was taken off the air in 2024 after posting on social media saying CBC President Catherine Tait had declined a request for an interview with “Canada Tonight” to discuss executive bonuses given out while layoffs were occurring at CBC.
The request was made “at a time when the public broadcaster is under increasing scrutiny and when transparency is needed,” the April 2024 tweet read. “We wanted to discuss new budget funding, what it means for jobs & the corporation’s strategic priorities ahead. Our request was declined. This is unfortunate.”
According to his testimony, CBC management said his tweet violated internal editorial policies by creating a perception of bias on his part. Dhanraj insists his post simply made the factual point that Tait didn’t want to be interviewed.
After he was taken off the air, Dhanraj said he was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement by CBC management. He said he was asked to waive certain legal rights and agree to “seek no right or remedy under the Canadian Human Rights Act.”
He said he refused to sign and subsequently his role at CBC was not renewed.
“That should be shocking to every member on this committee,” Dhanraj told the committee. “We should not have a public institution silencing their own employees and having them waive their rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act.”
Dhanraj announced his resignation from the CBC in July 2025 with a resignation letter to executives and an email explaining his decision to colleagues.
He then filed a human rights complaint against the CBC in September 2025 alleging discrimination and retaliation against him for his social media post and disagreements about editorial independence. The case remains pending.
Responding to the allegations, CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said a number of Dhanraj’s statements in his March 10 testimony were false and misleading.
