Lisa LaFlamme is not done telling stories that matter most to her — even if she's not at CTV
CBC
Seven months after being let go as the anchor of CTV National News, after decades with the network, Lisa LaFlamme is keeping things in perspective.
"I had 35 memorable years," at CTV, she told CBC News chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault on Wednesday. "And I loved it. Loved it all. And there are new things to love now. So I'll be fine. I am fine."
LaFlamme sat down with The National and spoke more about her split with CTV, her future, and serving as a voice on women's issues in Canada and globally.
Last August, LaFlamme announced on Twitter that CTV's parent company, Bell Media, had made a "business decision" to end her contract. She said she was "blindsided" by the move.
Soon, a narrative emerged speculating that her newly grey hair might have played a role in the decision. LaFlamme had stopped dyeing her hair during the pandemic, which The Globe and Mail reported was questioned by a CTV executive.
This led to allegations of sexism and ageism against Bell Media, which the company strongly denied. Brands including Wendy's and Dove even created social media campaigns about grey hair in solidarity.
Bell Media later said it regretted how LaFlamme's departure was handled and, amid the furor, ordered a third-party workplace review of the newsroom. The head of CTV's news division was eventually replaced.
Mirko Bibic, the president and CEO of BCE, Bell Media's parent, denied soon after in a LinkdIn post that LaFlamme's "age, gender or grey hair played into the decision."
Asked whether she was terminated for letting her hair go grey, LaFlamme referred to her original video.
"It was a business decision and that's what I know," she said.
"Legally there's only so much I can say."
LaFlamme added she's grateful for the amount of support she received.
"Journalists, especially women, become pincushions for the haters, if you will. And so maybe we train ourselves to hear the negative. Maybe we absorb the negative more than we should," she said.
She says losing her job pales in comparison to some of the hardships she witnessed while on the job. "I think about — the soldiers who we saw lose their legs in Afghanistan, or babies born in tarpaulins after the earthquake in Haiti, all of these things, those are sudden changes they don't come back from," she said.
Canada is preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump to hit the country with potentially devastating tariffs on Tuesday, but the federal government and the premiers say they are in the dark about what will actually materialize and how high those promised levies will be.
Former P.E.I. Premier Dennis King has been appointed as Canada's new ambassador to Ireland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday in a news release.
Oxford and Elgin counties have the highest number of measles cases in the country, the province's public health agency says, as local medical officials warn of more possible exposures to the deadly virus.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will take questions from media Monday for the first time since his Progressive Conservatives won their third-straight majority in a snap election last week.
Newfoundland and Labrador is staring down federal, provincial, and municipal elections in the next eight months, but for one new Canadian the opportunity to vote is something she's not taking for granted.
Even with a dirt trench running down the hallway, and exposed wires and pipes hanging from the ceiling, it still kind of looks like an elementary school.
Some of the most affordable rental housing in Nova Scotia is rapidly becoming less so, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data analyzed by CBC News.
A two-time federal Conservative candidate in Miramichi says he doesn't think current party MP Jake Stewart can win again in a federal election that is expected to start within weeks.
Quebec municipalities and human rights groups are voicing concerns about proposed legislation that would require newcomers to abide by a set of common values.
Amazon and Walmart Canada have so far ignored the NDP government's requests to restrict the online sale of machetes to Manitobans, the province says.
Saskatoon city council is seeking money to crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals in the city, like those on AirBnB and VRBO, amid an active moratorium on licensing certain new short-term rentals.
When Kwaku Ayisi lost a friend who hadn't even reached 40 to breast cancer, it inspired him to look at the barriers Black women face in Saskatchewan's breast-health system.
A northern Alberta town is losing its only family doctor clinic and officials are trying to find solutions before the doors close for good at the end of May.