The Conservative party is calling for a parliamentary committee to investigate the
after
journalist Travis Dhanraj resigned
over the public broadcaster’s alleged “performative diversity, tokenism, a system designed to elevate certain voices and diminish others.”
Dhanraj was the host of Canada Tonight: With Travis Dhanraj on CBC. But he resigned on Monday, involuntarily, he says, because the CBC “has made it impossible for me to continue my work with integrity.”
“I have been systematically sidelined, retaliated against, and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfill my public service role,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “I stayed as long as I could, but CBC leadership left me with no reasonable path forward.”
On Wednesday, Rachel Thomas, an Alberta Conservative member of Parliament, wrote a letter to the chair of the House of Commons standing committee on Canadian heritage, saying that Dhanraj’s claims have “reignited concerns about the organization’s workplace culture.”
The letter calls on the chair, Ontario Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner, to recall the committee.
“It is critical that we hear testimony from Mr. Dhanraj, CBC executives and Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, Steven Guilbeault,” the letter states.
CBC has denied Dhanraj’s allegations.
“CBC categorically rejects the accusations made about CBC News, our staff and management,” Kerry Kelly, a CBC spokesperson, said in an email.
On Wednesday, National Post reported that Dhanraj is still considered an employee by CBC, although he is on leave.
“CBC is refusing to accept his resignation,” Kathryn Marshall, Dhanraj’s lawyer,
, in an emailed statement. “This refusal is indicative of their abusive work culture. However, to be clear, Travis has resigned, albeit involuntarily. We intend to commence a human rights lawsuit.”
Marshall alleged earlier this week that Dhanraj had been discouraged from booking “Conservative voices” on his show.
Dhanraj had been on leave last July but returned to full-time hours last December. At that point, Marshall said, he was pressured to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding a tweet he posted in April 2024 about former CBC president Catherine Tait declining an interview request for his show.
“Within basically the first week of his return he was immediately retaliated against by CBC for not signing the NDA,” Marshall said. “He was, at that point, permanently removed as the host of Canada Tonight, and his salary got slashed, and it was evident at that point that he had no future or career at the CBC.”
In his resignation letter, Dhanraj said the experience at CBC has “taken a real toll — on my health, my career, and my trust in an institution I once believed I could help reform from within.”
“But the greater harm is to the public: a broadcaster that no longer lives up to its mandate, a culture that resists accountability, and a system that punishes those who dare to challenge it.”
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