Former CBC anchor tells MPs broadcaster “silenced and intimidated” him

Former CBC television reporter and anchor Travis Dhanraj told a House of Commons committee Tuesday that the public broadcaster fostered a workplace culture where he says employees were “silenced and intimidated.”

Dhanraj, who previously hosted the CBC program Canada Tonight, appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage as part of its study into the state of journalism and media in Canada.

During his testimony, Dhanraj said the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation created what he described as a “toxic culture where intimidation went unchecked.” He said the broadcaster’s public messaging about diversity did not match his experience inside the organization.

“While I was publicly held up as a bold, diverse host,” Dhanraj told the committee, the corporation’s stated commitment to diversity “contrasted with realities of tokenism.”

When Dhanraj announced his departure from the CBC in an email to staff in 2025, he alleged the organization had a workplace culture marked by “retaliation, exclusion and psychological harm,” according to remarks referenced during the committee hearing.

Last week, Dhanraj posted a video to his “Can’t Be Censored” podcast YouTube channel saying he planned to testify before the committee and would “name names, describe decisions and paint a better picture about what happened inside the CBC.”