The award-winning Canadian news anchor, Lisa LaFlamme, was fired from her job after she stopped coloring her hair and let her natural hair color shine.
The allegations that a well-known news anchor, Lisa LaFlamme, has lost her job simply because she stopped coloring her hair and ‘went grey’ have caused anger and skepticism among the masses. This has exposed the strict expectations that women face in the workplace.
She announced on Monday, 15 August, in a Twitter video, that she had been fired as the anchor of CTV National News. It is one of the most popular evening programs in the nation. The video was two minutes long.
LaFlamme was completely “blindsided”
LaFlamme claimed that she was completely “blindsided” by the channel’s decision to terminate her contract in the video she posted. The video received over 4 million views.
“I’m still shocked and saddened. At 58, I still thought I’d have a lot more time to tell more of the stories that impact our daily lives,” she said.
LaFlamme, who started hosting the main program in 2011, was one of the numerous women who stopped coloring their hair during the pandemic and allowed their natural hair color to stand out. LaFlamme called the decision “liberating” and admitted to regretting that she had waited so long to take action.
According to a report, Michael Melling, a senior executive at CTV News, “asked who had approved the decision to let Lisa’s hair go grey.” Melling and LaFlamme argued over issues of journalism before finally telling LaFlamme that her contract was being terminated.
LaFlamme has spent the last 35 years covering war zones and the scenes of devastating natural disasters for CTV News. Most recently, she was named Best News Anchor in the Canadian Screen Awards.
Her firing has brought out various issues faced by women
The issue surrounding LaFlamme’s firing, in Amanda Watson’s opinion, has brought to light the challenges that women, particularly those who are at the top of their field, face on a daily basis.
The news of her leaving shocked Canadian journalism, and business and government leaders joined the conversation.
LaFlamme has been referred to as “a massive voice in Canadian media” by the former premier of Alberta, Rachel Notley, and as “appallingly shoddy” by the former environment minister, Catherine McKenna. Others made references to sexism and ageism stereotypes. A well-known investor named Arlene Dickinson lauded LaFlamme for “gracefully” aging on national television and serving as an example to others.