Former CBC host Travis Dhanraj is pursuing legal action against the public broadcaster, alleging a pattern of discrimination, retaliation and editorial censorship of conservatives.
Dhanraj’s claims are now being advanced by his lawyer, Kathryn Marshall.
In an exclusive interview on the Candice Malcom Show, Marshall said Dhanraj faced internal resistance from CBC management for trying to include conservative voices on his program, Canada Tonight. After refusing a non-disclosure agreement, he was pushed out of the organization, according to Marshall.
“He was dissuaded from bringing conservative voices onto the show and they retaliated against him,” Marshall told The Candice Malcolm Show, adding that Dhanraj was “bullied by some senior correspondents in Ottawa” and sidelined for questioning CBC’s internal editorial practices.
CBC claims that Dhanraj remains a unionized employee on leave, but Marshall disputed that claim, stating that his resignation was final and that attempts to reject it were intended to maintain control.
“Travis is not an employee of CBC anymore,” said Marshall. “He resigned involuntarily, but he resigned.”
Marshall said Dhanraj filed internal complaints alleging harassment and retaliation, which she claims were not investigated.
She also criticized CBC’s union for inaction, alleging that it sided with management. “No grievance was filed … that’s a breach of his employment and human rights,” she said.
Because Dhanraj was a unionized employee, he cannot pursue a civil lawsuit.
Instead, Marshall said her client is preparing a complaint before the Canadian Human Rights Commission, focusing on allegations of racial tokenism and political discrimination.
“No collective bargaining agreement can take away your right to enforce your own human rights,” she said.
According to Marshall, CBC executives offered Dhanraj a demoted position with reduced pay, contingent on signing an NDA, a move she called “unprecedented” in Canadian workplaces.
She also alleged that senior Ottawa-based CBC staff created structural barriers within the newsroom, particularly around editorial control and guest booking. “He was simply trying to do his job and he was being treated like the enemy,” she said.
The allegations follow a public letter Dhanraj sent to colleagues last week stating that the CBC “prioritizes spin over substance” and that attempts to raise internal concerns became a “career-ending move.”
CBC has denied the allegations but declined further comment due to privacy considerations.
Marshall said Dhanraj’s experience is consistent with complaints from other CBC employees who have contacted her since the story broke. “My inbox has been inundated,” she said.
In 2022, former CBC producer Tara Henley publicly resigned alleging that the state broadcaster had embraced a “radical political agenda: and a workplace culture intolerant of dissenting views.
Marshall said more details and documentation related to Dhanraj’s case would be released soon.