The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is refusing to release an internal document that allegedly outlines which public figures its journalists are discouraged from interviewing, even after a former host told MPs the network maintained a blacklist of dozens of names.During testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, former CBC-TV host Travis Dhanraj said newsroom staff relied on an internal guide titled Parameters For Political Guests that restricted who could appear on certain programs.“When it came to politics, interviews were blocked under guard rails governed by an internal document never made public titled Parameters For Political Guests,” Dhanraj told the committee. “Political access was centralized. Booking decisions were controlled elsewhere.”Blacklock's Reporter said the public broadcaster did not respond to requests for a copy of the document, and the network has repeatedly denied allegations that its news coverage carries a pro-government bias.Dhanraj, who previously hosted the CBC News Channel program Canada Tonight, told MPs he was warned against interviewing Conservative politicians, including leader Pierre Poilievre.“I basically wasn’t allowed to pick up the phone and talk to Conservatives,” he said..Rachael Thomas, Conservative MP for Lethbridge, questioned Dhanraj about how much editorial freedom he had while working at the network.“Were you given journalistic freedom?” Thomas asked.“No,” Dhanraj replied, adding that producers circulated a list of 45 individuals who were not to be invited onto certain programs.“The issue became with panelists,” he said. “We had a list of 45 people that Power and Politics gave us that said, ‘Do not go near these people.’”Thomas then asked whether he would provide the list to the committee.“Yes,” Dhanraj replied.The former host said a small group of decision-makers in Ottawa controlled which political voices appeared on air.“A certain group of people in Ottawa was in control of who was allowed on programs,” he testified, adding that concerns about bias have been debated internally among CBC staff.“CBC needs to have a wake-up call here in terms of accountability,” Dhanraj said. “I think right now the CBC by continuing to put out statements and come to these committees and say, ‘Yes, we might have a little bit of a problem but overall we’re not biased,’ that’s gaslighting Canadians.”CBC executives have rejected the suggestion that the broadcaster’s newsroom is politically biased.Last October, CBC president and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard told the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications that the organization’s journalism is independent and non-partisan..“The notion that we are politically oriented is really against everything that we believe and the independence that we so importantly preserve,” Bouchard said, noting that editorial independence is protected under the Broadcasting Act.CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon also defended the network’s newsroom during testimony, saying it operates under the highest journalistic standards.“Bias? You know, I’ve worked for a number of different news organizations, a number of private media,” Fenlon said. “I can say the CBC is the most accountable and held to the highest standard of any organization I’ve ever worked for.”
