Many CBC viewers have lost trust in the broadcaster following revelations by former host Travis Dhanraj that he was instructed not to book Conservative guests on his program, according to a report based on Access to Information records obtained by Blacklock's Reporter.
The 142-page document shows the CBC received a flood of complaints from viewers after Dhanraj's testimony before a House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on March 10.
"Finally the truth has come out," one viewer wrote. "Canadians have lost trust in the CBC." Another viewer stated, "You guys are awful. Your bias is there for the world to see."
Dhanraj, former host of Canada Tonight, testified that he was removed from the air after posting a tweet in April 2024 that his show had requested an interview with then-CBC president Catherine Tait, which was declined. He alleged political bias, internal intimidation, and editorial gatekeeping at the publicly funded network.
"This is not about left or right," Dhanraj told the committee. "It's about systemic control, tokenism, selective enforcement and a toxic culture where intimidation went unchecked."
Viewers expressed outrage that taxpayer money supports a network perceived as promoting only Liberal viewpoints. "Taking money from all Canadian taxpayers while only representing the Liberal point of view is a travesty," one critic wrote. "The CBC has become Canada's Pravda. I am saddened and disgusted."
Dhanraj revealed he was not even allowed to contact Conservatives, as that role was reserved for Power & Politics, hosted by David Cochrane. "I wasn't even allowed to pick up the phone and call to request Pierre Poilievre," he testified. He added that when he had Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman on his show, he was threatened with being pulled off the air, though the CBC later denied this. "There were recordings of them trying to do this," he said.
Conservative MP Carol Anstey noted that Liberal members of the committee did not question Dhanraj about his claims during the hearing. "Regardless of political leanings, allegations about transparency, editorial independence, and workplace culture at a publicly funded broadcaster deserve serious scrutiny," Anstey wrote on Facebook. "Canadians should expect accountability from institutions funded by taxpayers."
Some viewers criticized the CBC for not covering Dhanraj's testimony, calling management cowards. "How far can this go before you realize you have a problem?" one angry viewer asked.
Another viewer complained of "grotesque Liberal bias" and called the broadcaster "elitist scum" in a message to the CBC's ombudsman, who replied, "I would request that in future you express yourself in a polite and respectful manner."
CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon defended the network in an email, stating that the CBC tries to "achieve balance over time," but not in every show or story. "We hear from people who perceive our bias as right wing and as left wing, as pro-Liberal and as pro-Conservative, as pro-Israeli and as pro-Palestinian, as pro and con issues of public interest from vaccine hesitancy to trans rights," Fenlon wrote. "These perceptions of bias, whatever direction they take, are of great concern to me and to our editorial leadership."
