CBC News anchor Travis Dhanraj says he was ‘forced’ to resign from broadcaster

Travis Dhanraj is shown in this undated handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - CBC

TORONTO — Longtime TV journalist Travis Dhanraj says he’s been “forced to resign” from CBC News.

The former host of “Canada Tonight” announced his departure in an email to CBC staff that alleges a culture of “retaliation, exclusion, and psychological harm.”

Dhanraj stepped back from CBC News Network’s prime-time program last fall, less than a year after he took the helm. Before that, he was a co-host of CBC’s flagship consumer affairs series “Marketplace.”

CBC spokeswoman Kerry Kelly says the broadcaster “categorically rejects” the accusations about the network, management and staff.

Dhanraj’s lawyer Kathryn Marshall says they plan to take his complaints to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. She says they believe CBC assumed Dhanraj would hold a certain “liberal world view” based on “the colour of his skin.”

Marshall says Dhanraj wanted to share a diversity of political opinions, including having more conservative guests on his show, but she alleges CBC management and senior staff objected.

CBC’s Kelly says she’s limited in what she can say about Dhanraj due to privacy concerns.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press