Toronto: A prominent Indian-origin host of the national broadcaster CBC News quit the media outlet on Monday, accusing it of fostering a “toxic” culture marked by “tokenism masquerading as diversity”.
The scandal hit the national broadcaster, which is largely funded by the government, as a letter of resignation its anchor Travis Dhanraj wrote to his colleague was published across Canadian media.
“This was not a voluntary decision,” he said, adding, “It comes after trying to navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm. A place where asking hard questions — about tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols, and the erosion of editorial independence — became a career-ending move.”
His lawyer Kathryn Marshall told media that Dhanraj made complaints that CBC of “toxic” and “bullying” behaviour of “small circle of senior Ottawa-based journalists”.
She also said Dhanraj planned to make a formal human rights complaint against CBC News.
In a public post on X, Dhanraj said the issue wasn’t about him. “It’s about trust in the CBC — a public institution that’s supposed to serve you. It’s about voices being sidelined, hard truths avoided, and the public being left in the dark about what’s really happening inside their national broadcaster,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}In a public post on X, Dhanraj said the issue wasn’t about him. “It’s about trust in the CBC — a public institution that’s supposed to serve you. It’s about voices being sidelined, hard truths avoided, and the public being left in the dark about what’s really happening inside their national broadcaster,” he noted.
{{/usCountry}}A spokesperson for the network denied the allegations, saying, “While we are limited in what we can say in response due to privacy and confidentiality considerations, CBC categorically rejects the accusations made about CBC News, our staff and management.”
Dhanraj, former host of the CBC programme Canada Tonight, was born in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta, but is of Indo-Caribbean descent with roots in Trinidad.
In recent years, CBC has faced charges of bias, particularly when against the opposition Conservative Party during the tenure of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
At the same time, it has also been accused of platforming radical elements, including pro-Khalistan separatists, without providing for voices to counter their claims.
In a statement, the National Alliance of Indo-Canadians (NAIC) said it had been “concerned for long for biased and unfair reporting” by the outlet which excluded “the views of majority of Indo-Canadians”.