Allison Inquiry | Rodney Palmer | Day 4 September 11th, 2026

Rodney Palmer worked as a Canadian journalist for 20 years, including as a general assignment reporter at The Globe and Mail, a daily reporter at the Vancouver Sun, an investigative reporter and producer at CBC Radio and Television, and CTV's foreign bureau chief in India, Israel and China.

Invited to testify about the difference between news gathering and propaganda during COVID, he argues the CBC, where he was trained, changed during the pandemic from a public broadcaster working bottom up to a state broadcaster delivering messages top down, and compares it to state media he saw in China, Syria and North Korea. He presents examples of CBC coverage on the virus's origin, a children's segment on vaccine safety, the later use of on-air experts he says had undisclosed ties to a federally funded vaccine-uptake group, and a regional story on vaccine injuries that he says was delayed and blocked, prompting the reporter to retire.

He points to Health Canada figures on reported deaths and heart inflammation, argues that words such as anti-vaxxer, conspiracy theorist and misinformation work as censorship, and describes a March 2023 protest at CBC headquarters by injured Canadians. He says he believes the CBC acted as told and that other outlets did the same. In questions, he says he does not know who directed CBC but points to a media standards group.

Recorded at the Allison Inquiry, Day 4, September 11th, 2026. For more information, including the full list of witnesses and experts, go to allisoninquiry.com.

0:00 Swearing in and introduction
0:24 His background
1:18 Public broadcaster versus state broadcaster
2:56 A CBC report on the virus's origin
3:50 Later reporting on the Wuhan lab
6:26 Discussion: the lab origin
7:13 A CBC Kids segment on vaccine safety
9:33 Later safety reports and a delayed regional story
11:35 The reporter retires
12:06 Science Up First and the choice of experts
14:35 Undisclosed ties
15:45 Health Canada death reports
16:29 Effectiveness stories and boosters
18:13 A death after vaccination
19:24 The language of censorship
20:42 The March 2023 protest at CBC headquarters
22:05 Health Canada's list of reported deaths
23:26 Conclusion: a state broadcaster
24:37 MP question: was CBC prompted?
26:40 Closing and exhibits