Courtney Greenberg - Yesterday
Lisa LaFlamme poses with her Canadian Screen Award for Best National News Anchor, in Toronto on Aug. 17, 2022. Bell Media has said its ouster of the esteemed journalist was due to a desire to go “in a different direction.”© Provided by National Post
Lisa LaFlamme will be back on Canadian television screens as a special correspondent for Rogers’ CityNews after the controversy surrounding her untimely exit as CTV News anchor. CTV is owned by Bell Media.
The veteran reporter is set to cover Queen Elizabeth’s funeral and the transition to King Charles III from London, England, it was revealed on Friday.
“The Queen is the only monarch most of us have ever known. We grew up with Her Majesty and mourn the passing of this remarkable and inspiring woman,” said LaFlamme in a statement to Rogers Sports and Media. “As this second Elizabethan era comes to an end, I can only say how truly honoured I am to help tell the story of her life and the legacy she leaves.”
This move comes after LaFlamme’s 35-year career as chief news anchor at CTV National News came to an end. In a social media post on August 15, she shared that she had been fired from her position. She said she was told that her exit was due to a “business decision” made by Bell Media.
“I was blindsided, and I’m still shocked and saddened by Bell Media’s decision,” she said, adding that she was grateful for her loyal viewers.
It appeared to the public that ageism and sexism played a part in her firing.
“Lisa Laflamme is the beloved Canadian news anchor who let her hair go grey during the pandemic. It got her fired,” one Twitter user wrote .
Vice-president of news Michael Melling apparently questioned who “let Lisa’s hair go grey,” it was later reported by The Globe and Mail. The comment led to public outcry and a push for LaFlamme to be reinstated, with a Change.org petition garnering thousands of signatures.
At the end of August, Melling took leave from the company, according to an internal Bell Media memo.
The decision to fire LaFlamme was not due to her “age, gender or grey hair”, president and CEO of BCE Inc. & Bell Canada Mirko Bibic clarified in a LinkedIn post last week.
Companies like fast-food chain Wendy’s joined in to show their support, changing their logo from red-haired to grey. Dove launched a campaign to celebrate aging, using the hashtag #KeepTheGrey.
LaFlamme will be doing daily reporting for all newscasts on television and radio, CityNews said. She will also appear regularly on Breakfast Television.
Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022 at 96 years old. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
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