Canadian Broadcasting Corporation a.k.a. Radio-Canada, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
OTTAWA — Allegations of political bias at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are drawing scrutiny in Parliament after a former network host told a House of Commons committee he faced consequences for raising concerns about editorial control and diversity of viewpoints.
Travis Dhanraj, the former host of CBC’s Canada Tonight, testified last week before the standing committee on Canadian heritage, which is studying the state of Canada’s journalism and media sectors.
Dhanraj told MPs he raised internal concerns about what he described as centralized decision-making and a lack of ideological balance within the public broadcaster.
“I raised concerns. I challenged centralized control and bias,” Dhanraj told the committee.
He said he pushed for greater diversity of opinion in guest bookings and editorial decisions, including efforts to feature more conservative voices on political panels.
Dhanraj told MPs those efforts were met with resistance and led to professional consequences.
“Within months, I was pulled off the air, disciplined, restricted from speaking, stripped of my prime-time program and eventually out altogether,” he said.
The former host also alleged political booking decisions were tightly controlled within CBC’s Ottawa bureau and that certain programs exercised authority over which politicians could appear on others.
Dhanraj said he has filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission alleging discrimination and retaliation connected to the dispute.
His complaint seeks damages and calls for an investigation into workplace policies, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs and internal harassment procedures.
The parliamentary committee hearing forms part of a broader review of Canada’s media landscape and comes amid ongoing debate about the role of the taxpayer-funded broadcaster, which receives roughly $1.4 billion annually in federal funding.
The allegations are expected to be examined further through the human rights commission’s complaint process.
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