Conservative MPs are calling for an immediate recall of the House of Commons Heritage Committee to investigate allegations surrounding the resignation of former CBC anchor Travis Dhanraj and ongoing concerns about workplace culture at the public broadcaster.
In a letter dated July 9 and addressed to committee chair Lisa Hepfner, four Conservative MPs—Rachael Thomas, Kevin Waugh, Bernard Généreux and Jamil Jivani—urge the committee to summon Dhanraj, senior CBC executives, and Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to testify “at the earliest opportunity possible.”
Dhanraj, a veteran journalist who most recently hosted Canada Tonight, announced his resignation this week, alleging that he was forced out of the CBC over internal criticisms he raised about what he described as “retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm” within the organization. He further claimed there was a “gap between CBC’s stated values and its internal reality.”
“What happens behind the scenes at CBC too often contradicts what’s shown to the public,” Dhanraj wrote in a public statement.
Conservative Heritage Critic Rachael Thomas announced the call for hearings on X, writing, “The CBC is again accused of workplace harassment and biased reporting. All of this while the CBC is funded by taxpayers and executives pay themselves massive bonuses. We need full transparency and accountability before Parliament now.”
The letter notes that Dhanraj’s allegations place renewed focus on the CBC’s more than $1 billion in annual public funding and its ongoing pattern of executive compensation.
This is not the first time concerns about workplace culture have emerged from inside the CBC.
In 2022, former CBC producer Tara Henley publicly resigned, alleging that the state broadcaster had embraced a “radical political agenda” and fostered a workplace culture intolerant of dissenting views.
The Heritage Committee has not yet responded publicly to the recall request.