CBC News host Travis Dhanraj has resigned, stating that he had “no real choice” after being allegedly sidelined by his employer, a claim that the public broadcaster has denied.
We obtained a copy of the resignation letter from Dhanraj’s lawyer, in which the former host of Canada Tonight: With Travis Dhanraj details the reasons for his departure, saying that CBC has made it impossible for him to “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. “When I joined CBC, I did so with a clear understanding of its mandate and a belief in its importance to Canadian democracy.”
However, behind the scenes, he said a different story unfolded.
Dhanraj accused CBC of “performative diversity and tokenism” and having “a system designed to elevate certain voices and diminish others.” He alleged that he was repeatedly denied access to key newsmakers and that his employer created structural barriers for some while empowering others, specifically senior journalists in Ottawa.
“When I questioned these imbalances, I was met with silence, resistance and eventually, retaliation,” he stated. “” was fighting for balance and accused of being on a ‘crusade.'”
Dhanraj claimed that his show was then rebranded, his name removed, and that his medical leave was “whispered about in the newsroom.” He was also asked to sign an NDA related to an investigation into his 2024 X post, in which he asked former CBC president Catherine Tait to discuss the broadcaster’s budget.
He said that the NDA wasn’t designed to protect his privacy but rather to “sign away” his voice.
At a time when the public broadcaster is under increasing scrutiny and when transparency is needed, #CanadaTonight requested an intvu w/ @PresidentCBCRC Catherine Tait. We wanted to discuss new budget funding, what it means for jobs & the corporation’s strategic priorities ahead.…
— Travis Dhanraj (@Travisdhanraj) April 19, 2024
“When I refused, I was further marginalized,” stated Dhanraj. “These were not isolated actions. They were part of a pattern that sent a clear message: fall in line or be removed.”
According to Dhanraj, these were not isolated incidents, and the situation has taken a toll on his health, career and trust in the CBC. While he thought he could help from “within,” he said 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,” he wrote. “It is why the CBC is losing trust with Canadians and its audience.”
Dhanraj ended his letter by stating that it is not the end of the story and that he plans to share more when the time is right. “You have taken away my job, but you cannot and will not silence my voice,” he wrote.
A representative for the CBC told us over email in response that, “Yesterday, Travis Dhanraj, a unionized employee of CBC/Radio-Canada who is currently on leave, sent internal notes making serious allegations.”
“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.”
However, a representative for Dhanraj’s lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, confirmed that he has resigned.
On Monday, Dhanraj shared a note and a Google Form on his X account.
“If you believe Canadians deserve answers — and transparency from the institutions they fund — leave your email below,” he wrote. “When the time is right, I’ll pull the curtain back, I’ll share everything… I’ll tell you what is really happening inside the walls of your CBC.”
Read the full text of Dhanraj’s resignation letter below:
Subject: Resignation Under Duress – CBC Leadership Has Left Me No Choice
Dear CBC Leadership,
This is an involuntary resignation.
I am stepping down not by choice, but because the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has made it impossible for me to continue my work with integrity. After years of service — most recently as the host of Canada Tonight: With Travis Dhanraj — I have been systematically sidelined, retaliated against and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfill my public service role.
When I joined CBC, I did so with a clear understanding of its mandate and a belief in its importance to Canadian democracy. I was told I would be “a bold voice in journalism.” I took that role seriously. I worked to elevate underrepresented stories, expand political balance, and uphold the journalistic values Canadians expect from their public broadcaster.
But what happens behind the scenes at CBC too often contradicts what’s shown to the public.
Performative diversity, tokenism, a system designed to elevate certain voices and diminish others.
I was repeatedly denied access to key newsmakers. Internal booking and editorial protocols were weaponized to create structural barriers for some while empowering others, particularly a small circle of senior Ottawa-based journalists. When I questioned these imbalances, I was met with silence, resistance, and eventually, retaliation. I was fighting for balance and accused of being on a “crusade.”
My show, which I was initially told was a strategic priority, was rebranded. My name removed. My access curtailed. My medical leave was whispered about in the newsroom. I was presented with an NDA tied to an investigation about a tweet about then CBC President Catherine Tait. It was designed not to protect privacy, but to sign away my voice. When I refused, I was further marginalized.
These were not isolated actions. They were part of a pattern that sent a clear message: fall in line or be removed. I stayed as long as I could, but CBC leadership left me with no reasonable path forward.
This 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.
It is why the CBC is losing trust with Canadians and its audience. My departure is not the end of this story. There is more to come — and it will be shared when the time is right. You have taken away my job, but you cannot and will not silence my voice.
Sincerely,
Travis Dhanraj
