Trudeau makes his case to Canadians in year-end interview with comedian Mark Critch
CBC
It's been a "garbage year" for the prime minister, says comedian Mark Critch off the top of his year-end interview with Justin Trudeau.
The This Hour Has 22 Minutes cast member got an accidental exclusive interview with Trudeau after the Prime Minister's Office cancelled all of Trudeau's scheduled interviews following Chrystia Freeland's shock resignation from cabinet.
The comedy-sketch-style interview aired at 8 p.m. ET as part of CBC's New Year's Eve special.
But the interview was filmed on Dec. 6 —10 days before Freeland's resignation. Radio-Canada also filmed a year-end interview with the prime minister on that day but chose not to broadcast the interview as it had become dated after Freeland's departure.
The Critch interview was marked by laughs and jokes as Trudeau attempted to make his case to take the Liberals into the next election.
"Right now we're in a moment where everything is difficult, and Pierre Poilievre is trying to convince Canadians not to believe in themselves, not to believe in the CBC, not to believe in climate change, not to believe in gun control, not to believe in women's rights," Trudeau told Critch.
"I believe Canadians rise to the occasion, and I am certainly not going to stop fighting at this moment where it's so important."
Here are the highlights from the interview.
Trudeau publicly split with his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, in August after 18 years of marriage.
But that wasn't the "devastating breakup" Critch asked the prime minister. Instead, he poked fun at Trudeau losing the confidence of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
"We got good things done together as progressives, and we're going to still try to bring them along on the more progressive things we're doing," said Trudeau about the political break-up.
Since the interview was taped, Singh has vowed to topple Trudeau's government in a non-confidence vote.
Trudeau spoke highly about his November visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla.
As for president-elect Donald Trump's comments that Canada should become the 51st state and references to Trudeau as Canada's governor, Trudeau brushed off the remarks as jokes.
The Ontario government says the $200 rebate cheques it promised to deliver to 15 million Ontarians this year are expected to arrive in mailboxes in late January or early February.
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In a rather busy span last month, the Alberta government confirmed that former prime minister Stephen Harper would be the chair of a completely remade board of Alberta's investment megafund AIMCo, forecast a bigger-than-anticipated budget surplus, and announced the most substantial changes to the province's auto insurance system in at least two decades.
Interest rate cuts and changes to Canada's mortgage rules could set the stage for change in the Greater Toronto Area's real estate market this year, experts say.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says Canada should not go into a federal election with a second Donald Trump administration about to take office in Washington — an administration that could follow through on Trump's threat to impose punishing tariffs on Canadian goods entering the United States.
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says he's seeking the party's nomination to run as a candidate in Edmonton.
While the FBI hunts Canadian fugitive Ryan Wedding, U.S. authorities are warning he remains a threat and likely still has a team of contract killers at the ready.
All 21 residents at a seniors' apartment complex in Stratford are safe after reports of a fire around 2:30 a.m. Friday.
Londoners spent the last year listening to music, and record store owners say the city's 2024 soundtrack was a mix of trending hits and nostalgic favourites.
Canadian forests are increasingly primed for severe, uncontrollable wildfires, a study published Thursday said, underlining what the authors described as a pressing need to proactively mitigate the "increased threat posed by climate change."
Calgary's downtown office vacancy rate is still the highest in the country, but things are trending in the right direction, according to figures from commercial real estate services company Altus Group.