Hasan Minhaj has been creating waves ever since his Netflix show Patriotic Act started streaming on Netflix. Which is why Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to do an exclusive interview with the comedian only months before the federal election in Canada. It was definitely a risk considering Minhaj’s unfiltered opinions and sharp political commentary. Trudeau is the only Prime Minister ever to be interviewed by Minhaj.
Hence it comes as almost no surprise that the Canadian premiere was roasted by Minhaj.
The interview started off very gently, with Minhaj paying Trudeau a few compliments and praising some of Trudeau’s greatest public relations hits, including his gender-balanced cabinet, his welcoming stance towards refugees, and his stated dedication to combating climate change.
However, things take a turn when Minhaj begins to question, Trudeau’s contradicting views and actions.
During the interview, Minhaj touches on Trudeau’s global reputation as a ‘progressive politician’, but then goes on to ask Trudeau about Canadians opposing the entry of more refugees, and the selling of arms to Algeria, Nigeria, Libya and Iraq. Minhaj even brings in Canada’s trade with Saudi Arabia and asks Trudeau to stop selling arms to them, pointing out that Canada has condemned that country for its involvement in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trudeau responds by saying Canada takes breaking contracts and its legal responsibilities seriously.
Minhaj then presses him about Canada’s Trans Mountain pipelines, asking why Canada pretends to be a leader in the fight against climate change when it still has the third largest reserve of oil in the world?
Trudeau responds to this by attempting to explain the country’s need for oil and pipelines, to which Minhaj simply says, “What you’re saying sounds like trying to whiten your teeth by drinking wine at every meal.”
If Trudeau had not been ‘roasted’ enough already, Minhaj also explains the SNC-Lavalin scandal saying that Trudeau has broken several of his election promises.
Minhaj also brings up Quebec’s new secularism bill and tries to get Trudeau to recite the Kalma Shahada. Quebec’s new law has banned people from wearing religious symbols, such as turbans or hijabs while working in the public sector.
On this Trudeau responded, “I disagree with it. A government shouldn’t be telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t wear in a free society, so I strongly disagree with that. I have been very clear that in a free society you cannot legitimize discrimination against someone based on their religion.”
However, the problem is that Trudeau hasn’t done anything about the deeply discriminatory law.
The whole thing wasn’t very pretty for Trudeau but a lot of Canadians are happy that the PM was called out for his contradictions.
“I understand, we all love Canada — I know it,” says Minhaj in the end. “None of you guys wanted to hear any of this. I might as well have done a 20-minute takedown of Tom Hanks. But there are realities about Canada and Trudeau that we cannot ignore. … Political pragmatism has to reckon with the reality of climate change.”
Watch the full episode here:
