LILLEY: Dhanraj still employed, CBC says, despite going public with resignation
Former TV host quit in public spat with broadcaster, which has rejected his resignation
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It seems that CBC thinks it is Hotel California: You can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave.
CBC host Travis Dhanraj resigned from the state broadcaster in a very public manner on Monday, including sending a letter of resignation to executives and an email to staff. Both documents were very critical of CBC for being a dysfunctional and toxic workplace, paying lip service to diversity but really engaging in tokenism and not accepting diversity of opinion.
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LILLEY: Dhanraj still employed, CBC says, despite going public with resignation Back to video
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On Tuesday, Dhanraj’s lawyer Kathryn Marshall said CBC had contacted her to say that they were “not accepting Travis’ resignation.” Seems Dhanraj was on leave when he said he was quitting and CBC’s human resources department said he can’t simply do that.
That’s a point a CBC spokesperson confirmed with me, saying Dhanraj is an employee but is on leave at the moment.
But he already quit and quite publicly.
“I have been systematically sidelined, retaliated against and denied the editorial access and institutional support necessary to fulfil my public service role,” Dhanraj said in his resignation letter.
In an email blast to all CBC staff sent out before his access to company email was cut off, Dhanraj said he didn’t want to resign but was ultimately forced to do so.
“It comes after trying to navigate a workplace culture defined by retaliation, exclusion and psychological harm. A place where asking hard questions — about tokenism masquerading as diversity, problematic political coverage protocols and the erosion of editorial independence — became a career-ending move,” Dhanraj said.
CBC’s response to all of this, beyond trying to pretend that Dhanraj hasn’t already left the building, is to portray this as an attack on them and their reputation.
“We are saddened to see this public attack on the integrity of CBC News,” spokesperson Kerry Kelly told CBC News.
I don’t know how CBC can defend what their political shows have become. They pretend to be neutral arbiters of truth, but in reality CBC’s Power and Politics and Rosie Barton Live regurgitate talking points directly from the Prime Minister’s Office.
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That was true when it was run by Justin Trudeau and it remains true now with Mark Carney in power.
Try to get through an episode of Power and Politics where host David Cochrane doesn’t interrupt whichever Conservative they bring on by explaining what the real Liberal point is. That doesn’t happen in the other direction when a Liberal makes a false assertion about the Conservatives or their policies.
If this were a private network, they could do what they want, but it is a publicly owned network that isn’t supposed to be taking sides and claims not to take sides, but clearly does.
I should be providing an example from Rosie Barton Live as well, but like most Canadians I can’t be bothered to watch that show. I’ve seen a few clips online and it is awful and, really, we all only have so much time in a day.
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In his resignation letter, which CBC is rejecting, and his email to staff, Dhanraj implores those still at CBC to fight for a better broadcaster.
“CBC doesn’t need more workshops. It needs accountability. It needs reform. It needs courage,” Dhanraj wrote to what should now be his former fellow colleagues.
“To those still inside: Silence shouldn’t be the price of your paycheque. The only thing that sustains broken systems is fear. And the only way things change is when people speak.”
Will anyone speak up for change or reform at CBC?
Given what they have done to someone they recruited to join their network, who they built a show around, who they invested heavily in and then discarded, the answer is not likely.
Dhanraj said people shouldn’t be silent for a paycheque, but after watching what happened to him that is likely the route most will choose.
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