Peter Mansbridge says ‘the GOAT’ Lloyd Robertson changed the face of TV news

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Robertson left the public broadcaster because he believed that TV anchors should do more than just read a prompter: they should be true journalists.

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At the time, CBC wasn’t willing to let its anchors report, but CTV told Robertson they would expand the job description if he joined the network.

Mansbridge called it “a triumph” not only for Robertson but for all TV anchors in Canada, because CBC realized it would have to adapt to compete with CTV.

Mansbridge is the former chief correspondent for CBC News, and for many years anchored “The National,” putting him in direct competition with Robertson.

“We were rivals, but we weren’t enemies,” Mansbridge said.

“In the sports world, they have this term — the GOAT. They talk about particular athletes being the greatest of all time,” Mansbridge said.

“LeBron James, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky. Lloyd was the GOAT.”

Robertson was remembered also by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who wrote on social media that he was mourning with the journalist’s family.

“For more than six decades, Lloyd Robertson helped Canadians make sense of the world. For millions of us, he was a familiar face in our living rooms. A reassuring voice in moments of uncertainty. A calm and steady presence through the moments that shaped our nation,” Carney wrote.

Lisa LaFlamme, who took over from Robertson when he retired from CTV in 2011, called Robertson “a true giant.”

“Canada has lost a broadcast legend. I have lost a teacher, a trusted friend, and someone who helped shape both my career and my life,” she wrote on Instagram.

Evan Solomon, a federal cabinet minister and former TV journalist, wrote on X that Robertson was “a mentor to many and a true friend to the country.”

“I once asked him for his advice, and what made his CTV newscast so trusted and popular. He said his motto was always: ‘be first and be friendly.’ He was both. He was also trusted,” Solomon wrote.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2026.

Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press