How comedian Mark Critch landed the only year-end interview with Justin Trudeau

Mark Critch says it was pure luck and good timing that he, the self-titled “clown,” landed the one year-end interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slightly than any of the nation’s revered political journalists.

The Canadian comic and This Hour Has 22 Minutes solid member sat down with the prime minister simply earlier than Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister earlier this month, sending shockwaves by means of Ottawa. The Prime Minister’s Workplace (PMO) cancelled all of Trudeau’s beforehand scheduled year-end interviews with at least seven media outlets shortly after. (According to La Presse, Radio-Canada’s Marie-Louise Arsenault additionally obtained an interview with Trudeau previous to Freeland’s bombshell announcement, however selected to not air it, saying the dialog was “not present.”)

“If it was a cartoon, you’d hear [the bomb falling]. And proper earlier than the ‘growth’ we did the interview,” Critch instructed The Current’s visitor host Susan Ormiston.

That interview, in addition to one with Jagmeet Singh — which Critch performed whereas he was preventing the NDP chief in Brazilian jiu jitsu — will air as a part of the 22 Minutes New Yr’s Eve Pregame Particular. The present additionally has a standing request for Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre, however thus far he has turned down their gives to look on 22 Minutes.

However regardless of rising political tensions, each inside the governing Liberal occasion and amongst Canadians, Critch says being in political comedy is not any more durable now than it was previously. He spoke to Ormiston about that, and his unintended unique with Trudeau. Right here is a part of their dialog.

You should be feeling fairly happy. So far as I can inform, you are the one man who obtained a year-end interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this 12 months.

I did get the massive year-end interview. Is not that unhappy? Nothing drives our nice esteemed Canadian journalists crazier than when the clown will get the interview, you understand?

WATCH | Mark Critch speaks with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

So what did you need to do to get it, Mark?

I might been asking for some time and stated, you understand, “Hey, we should always do one thing across the finish of the 12 months.”

And so they [Trudeau’s team] have been going, okay, yeah … we’ll try to slot in one thing. After which they stored their phrase. They stated someday, “Hey, we’ll be in Montreal on Friday if you can also make it.” And I believe that was sort of a brush off, to be trustworthy. [But] I used to be like, “Yep, I can get there.”

And so we went to Montreal to a little bit restaurant there, and we had a stunning, pretty chat. 

Simply to clarify, after all, that was earlier than the bombshell announcement by Chrystia Freeland when he cancelled [on] everyone else.

Yeah. However we did discuss would he step down, taking the stroll within the snow like his father did. 

So … it is nonetheless fairly well timed now.

So give me and our listeners a clue. You talked to Justin Trudeau in regards to the well-known stroll within the snow that his father took when he determined to step down. Did he offer you any reply to that?

I requested, why the hell would you keep in? And he, you understand, he stated all the standard issues — as a result of Canadians are within the center, and so they’re good individuals, and Canadians perceive.

However I believe he actually sees Pierre Poilievre as a dragon … he would not need to stroll away as a result of he doesn’t need the nation to go that means. And he appeared very severe about staying then. 

However we did discuss that well-known stroll within the snow. And he identified to me that when Pierre [Trudeau] was Justin’s age, he nonetheless had one other 12 years of being prime minister forward of him.

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He thinks he is obtained 12 years, does he?

Effectively, to which I replied, “God assist us.”

However I believe that every one might have modified lately. He went by means of an enormous breakup with Jagmeet and now an enormous breakup with Freeland. I am certain he did plenty of strolling in plenty of snow over the vacations. So we’ll have to remain tuned.

We joked about how wealthy the political expertise has been within the final 12 months … however has it change into more durable to do political comedy within the present political local weather?

I do not suppose so. I believe, you understand, that issues are very heated. And I talked to Prime Minister Trudeau about this, talked in regards to the F— Trudeau flags and all that stuff.

Issues have to return down as a result of most Canadians are within the center. We have to persuade one another [of that] and we have to do what’s greatest for all of us.

So there’s heaps to make enjoyable of, and most of the people can take a joke.  

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You understand, Pierre Poilievre stated himself that … he thinks that your present and others are simply propagandists for the PMO. Do you are worried about coming throughout as too cozy with one facet or the opposite?

No, I imply, he can come on [22 Minutes] any bloody nicely time he desires! He might … sit in my lap if he desires, however he is afraid to do it so he is developing with excuses.

With the prime minister, we simply had a dialog. There isn’t any holds barred. He did not say you possibly can’t discuss something. And if there was, I would not do it.

However we had a superb dialog. And I believe Canadians see a special facet of [politicians] in a present like ours. They are a bit extra relaxed. By the tip of that dialog, I forgot that the digicam was on, when myself and the prime minister have been speaking. I believe he did as nicely. 

The extra energy [politicians] get, they’ve extra … aides and stuff like that who’re attempting to maintain you from getting too shut, maintain you from being humorous. 

The extra you possibly can avoid the staffers and get the individual out doing one thing that makes them overlook [about] the chains of workplace, I believe that is one thing that could be very distinctive to our present that offers Canadians a greater view at who the individual is, not who the politician is.