Go to main content

TRAGEDY IN BANGLADESH: HOW MUCH DID CANADIAN RETAILERS KNOW?

CBC NEWS’ the fifth estate UNCOVERS SOME DARK SECRETS

MADE IN BANGLADESH AIRS FRIDAY, OCT. 11 AT 9 P.M. (9:30 NT) ON CBC-TV

A lot of our clothes bear the label ‘made in Bangladesh’. But before the deadly collapse of a garment factory there last April, most of us never thought about the people who make them. After clothes bound for Canada were found in the rubble of Rana Plaza, Canadian companies reacted with surprise - how could such a tragedy happen?

the fifth estate’s Mark Kelley went to Bangladesh and tracked down workers who say they are still forced to make clothes for Canada in dangerous conditions. And Kelley goes behind bars for an exclusive interview with the jailed owner of one of the biggest factories inside Rana Plaza, who details his long-standing, multi-million dollar connections to Canada.

Made in Bangladesh airs on the fifth estate, Friday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV.

Click here to watch a preview of Made in Bangladesh.

For almost four decades, the fifth estate has been Canada’s premier investigative documentary program, acquainting viewers with a dazzling parade of political leaders, shady characters and ordinary people whose lives were touched by triumph or tragedy. The tradition of provocative and courageous journalism, which began with Adrienne Clarkson, Warner Troyer and Peter Reilly on Sept. 16, 1975, continues unabated with the current team of Linden MacIntyre, Bob McKeown, Gillian Findlay and Mark Kelley.

CBC News Network rebroadcasts the fifth estate on Saturdays at 8 p.m. ET (8:30 NT) and Sundays at 7 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. NT). For more information on the fifth estate, visit our website at www.cbc.ca/fifth, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. The executive producer of the fifth estate is Jim Williamson.

To view past episodes of the fifth estate and other CBC programming, visit CBC Player, download the CBC App for your mobile devices, and download CBC podcasts.

-30-

About CBC News
For over 75 years, CBC has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

For more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre. Follow CBC’s publicity team on Twitter @CBC_Publicity.

For further information, or to request interviews, contact:
Corey Black, News and Current Affairs publicist, CBC
416.205.8710 (office)/647.221.4133 (mobile)


Discover

3 hours ago

The Tragically Hip to release live album and CBC to air The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Concert in full

Relive the night Canada stood still for the live broadcast of The Tragically Hip’s 2016 Man Machine Poem Kingston show, re-broadcasting and streaming commercial-free on Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 7 p.m. local time on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and CBC Music’s YouTube page.
May 4th at 11:05

Son of a Critch Gets Ready to Graduate as Cameras Roll on the Final Season of the Coming-of-Age Comedy

As production begins on Season 5 of Son of a Critch (12x30), co-creator, executive producer and star Mark Critch announced today that the upcoming season will be the series’ last.
April 23rd at 11:29

CBC and BBC Northern Ireland Greenlight New Romantic Comedy Series Committed, Starring Dustin Milligan and Diona Doherty

CBC and BBC Northern Ireland today announced the greenlight of new original comedy series Committed (10x30), starring Dustin Milligan (Schitt’s Creek, Hot Frosty) and Diona Doherty (Derry Girls, Blue Lights).
April 21st at 10:40

New to CBC Gem in May 2026

Highlights of programs new to CBC Gem this May include the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, hosted by Andrew Phung on May 31; the Asian Heritage Month Collection featuring documentary series Our Ocean Table (May 1) with journalist Hannah Sung and marine biologist and filmmaker Sonya Lee; and new CBC Kids original series Tralala (May 19), following the musical adventures of a seven-year-old frog and her dad. 
April 14th at 5:55

CBC Launches New Spring/Summer 2026 Podcast Slate

CBC, the #1 Canadian podcaster, is launching a new spring/summer slate of original podcasts, including in-depth investigations, candid personal revelations, and lighthearted comedy.