Maher shreds Canada’s woke policies to former Canadian deputy prime minister’s face

'They still haven't got the memo that this s--- don't work,' Maher said about Canadian government officials continuing to promote woke policies

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau comments on the vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge on 'America Reports.

HBO host Bill Maher grilled former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland about her party’s liberal policies he believes "p---" Canadians off.

During the latest episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher," the host spoke to Freeland — who is running to be the next Canadian prime minister — about her campaign and her vision for the country. During the conversation, Maher criticized the woke policies coming from outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a member of Freeland’s former party, and wondered if she would avoid them, should she become the next leader.

"This just p---es people off, and it looks like — as in America — they still haven't got the memo that this s--- don't work," Maher told the candidate.

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Bill Maher and ex-Canadian deputy prime minister

HBO host Bill Maher and ex-Canadian deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland discussed how Canada's Liberal Party has failed the country.

Maher started the discussion by bringing up the fact that Freeland once supported former Prime Minister Trudeau as they were both members of the Liberal Party of Canada. He asked why she eventually turned on him. Freeland, who was also Canada's finance minister, resigned from Trudeau's cabinet in December after his popularity plummeted due to concerns about inflation and immigration.

"So, Justin Trudeau, who’s on his way out, used to be very popular. I mean, he still has his fans – three – and they may be asking, why did you turn on him? Because, you know, you were part of his government. What was it? And also, what would you do differently?"

Freeland admitted that Trudeau passed his "sell-by date," but she also indicated that Trudeau got too far away from the "old-school liberal" values she espouses.

"But I think the other thing that happened is, my party — we’re actually called the Liberal Party and I am an old-school liberal, and liberals in Canada win when we are focused on people and on what they need in their lives," she said. "And we lose when people think that we’re focused on virtue signaling and identity politics."

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HBO host Bill Maher grilled former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland about her party’s liberal policies he believes "p---" Canadians off. (AP/Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

The message resonated with Maher, who said the shift to virtue signaling and ‘wokeness’ is the "same thing that sunk the party here in America when they went too far left."

He then mentioned that Trudeau leaned into those unpopular issues, asking, "Why did he go and become one of those elitist type of scolds who looked like he was just overbearing, that sort of left-wing overbearingness?"

Maher then mentioned green policies pushed in Ottawa, Canada as evidence of Canadian liberals pushing unpopular ‘wokeness’ on their people.

"I saw recently — I think it was last week — Ottawa, I see, is trying to pass a law limiting the amount of time you can idle your car. Now, I’ve been in Canada in the winter.  It's pretty f------ cold out there."

The idling regulations in Ottawa went into effect on Jan. 1. One local outlet reported they regulate idling on "vehicles on public and private property" as a way to "reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality."

"The reasoning is it's going to put a dent in global warming ­— I don't think it is," Maher continued. "That you can only idle your car for a minute, I think remotely, and three minutes if you’re in it before you can get going ­to warm it up."

Freeland responded, assuring Maher she had "received the memo" and saying, "Politicians win when they listen to people sincerely and hear what people are saying to them about their lives. And politicians lose when we think we are smarter than the people we work for  — and when we think that our job is to lecture people."

Trudeau and Freedland

Freeland stepped down as Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in December and is now critical of outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Adrian Wyld /The Canadian Press via AP)

The Canadian and Ottawa governments did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. 

Authored by Gabriel Hays via FoxNews March 1st 2025