Lisa LaFlamme is not done telling stories that matter most to her — even if she's not at CTV

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.