Travis Dhanraj, the former CBC News Network host who denounced the Crown Corporation for “dysfunction at the highest level” in an internal email from July that went viral, has filed a human rights complaint against the CBC, claiming discrimination based on colour, disability, and race.The Globe and Mail reports that on Thursday, Dhanraj expanded upon his earlier allegations about the “erosion of editorial independence” and “tokenism masquerading as diversity” at the CBC in the document his legal team submitted to the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC).He is also seeking damages for past and future wage loss, as well as pain and suffering.His lawyer, Kathryn Marshall, told the Globe and Mail that her client’s complaint was motivated by a desire to see change at the broadcaster.“It’s not that he’s bitter, and it’s not a personal vendetta, and it’s not for the money, it’s because he truly wants to see the CBC improve,” she said.Dhanraj has previously stated that his departure from Canada Tonight was caused in part by him posting on social media that it was “unfortunate” that then-CBC president Catherine Tait declined to be interviewed on the show.In his viral all-staff email, Dhanraj said he was “forced to resign.”He has now also alleged that he was bullied and harassed by CBC personalities Rosemary Barton and David Cochrane and believes they received opportunities that he — “the only brown prime-time host on CBC News Network with a solo show representing multiple minority identities” — was denied.Dhanraj is also seeking orders from the CHRC that the CBC undergo a comprehensive review of its DEI and workplace harassment policies and implement a whistle-blower policy.CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly has said the broadcaster was sent a copy of Dhanraj’s complaint on Thursday morning, but is still waiting on confirmation from the CHRC that a complaint has been officially filed..CBC anchor claims he was 'forced to resign' after calling out broadcaster's alleged bias, hypocrisy .According to the documents Dhanraj’s team submitted to the CHRC, he originally agreed to host Canada Tonight under the impression that he would be in charge of the show’s editorial direction, and pushed for “diversity and racial equality.”His complaint reads: “Mr. Dhanraj was consistently met with resistance at every point, creating a toxic work environment in which harassment, bullying, and retaliation went unchecked — leading to his constructive dismissal.”He also alleges he was met with internal resistance in his attempts to have conservative guests on his show, stating he was threatened with disciplinary action for having the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party, Melissa Lantsman, on.Dhanraj and the CBC are in disagreement about his current employment status, but the broadcaster has said he remains a unionized employee currently on leave.Marshall says that her client’s employment had been made untenable because of a demotion, attempts to get him to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and a poisoned workplace.“We are asserting that he’s been constructively dismissed,” she said.
