It has been a weird week.

Last Thursday, I received an email in my YXE Underground inbox from a gentleman named Mohammad Hussain. He said he was the Lead Press Secretary for the Prime Minister of Canada and wondered if I would be interested in having Prime Minister Trudeau on my podcast to talk about the importance of community leaders and why celebrating their work is important in building community. He also said this was not a scam email and that I should call him back.

I thought it was a scam email so I deleted it and continued on with my day at Sherbrooke Community Centre where I work as Communications Leader.

About an hour later, I received an email from my friend and former CBC colleague, David Shield, saying some guy from the Prime Minister's Office was trying to track me down. So I thought maybe I should call this Mohammad guy back. He didn't answer so I really thought it was a scam.

Then he called me back and explained that the Prime Minister would be in Saskatoon on Tuesday, April 23rd, and would I be interested in having him on YXE Underground as a guest. Mohammad said he likes to do different types of media when the Prime Minister visits smaller cities. He came across my podcast and thought it was really good and wondered if I would be interested in having a conversation with the Prime Minister through the lens of YXE Underground.

I asked if I could sleep on it and he said yes. I spoke with a couple of close friends to get their thoughts on what I should do. I was very sensitive to the fact that the Prime Minister does not fit the mandate of the podcast (he lives in Ottawa and is slightly above ground) and that he is not overly popular in our city and province. I also didn't want him to just come on the podcast and read talking points about the federal budget or all the things the government is doing.

After speaking with these two friends, I was leaning no and called my dad to basically confirm what I was thinking. My dad is definitely right of centre on the political spectrum, but much to my surprise, he said I would be a fool not to do this and that I should get out of my comfort zone and interview the Prime Minister because when in your life would you ever get this opportunity again to speak with the Canadian Prime Minister one on one?

I emailed Mohammad the next day and said I would do it under one condition: I wanted this to be a conversation about community and the importance of community leaders, and that if the interview didn't meet the standards I set for myself for the podcast or became an avenue for the Prime Minister to become overly political, I would not publish the episode. He agreed and then I started worrying about what questions I should ask the Prime Minister in the 25 minutes I was given with him.

I am very aware of how polarizing Prime Minister Trudeau is in our city, province and country. I certainly do not agree with everything his government has done and continues to do, but I honestly thought that my podcast listeners would be curious to hear what our Prime Minister thinks of our Saskatoon community and the leaders who are making a difference.

I think we had a good conversation about the importance of community leaders in Saskatoon and why having community organizations work together on issues is so important.

I am very proud of the fact that YXE Underground caught the attention of the Prime Minister's office and am grateful to everyone who has supported the podcast and continues to support it along with the people and organizations featured on it.

The interview took place at Wanuskewin Heritage Park this past Tuesday, April 23rd, in one of their beautiful gallery spaces. Two chairs and a small table were set up for us and we spoke for just over 20 minutes.

I want to thank the Prime Minister for taking the time to meet with me and to his team for making me feel comfortable throughout the process.

I especially want to thank Mohammad Hussian, who is a real person, for being a really wonderful person to work with, for listening to my concerns and answering my questions. Mohammad, I promise I will not delete your email if you ever send me one again.

I also want to thank Saskatoon photographer Liam Richards for not only taking photos of the interview but for telling me to eat some lunch when I got to Wanuskewin to help calm my nerves. I appreciate you, Liam!

If this is your first time listening to YXE Underground, welcome. There are six years worth of amazing people and organizations in Saskatoon who are doing amazing work but are flying under the radar. People like Kim Fisher and Kindergarden teacher, Mindy Macdonald. So please feel free to follow and listen to YXE Underground wherever you find your podcasts or visit yxeunderground.com to meet some wonderful community leaders here in Saskatoon.

And a new episode drops May 9th featuring one Kelton Braun from Meewasin Valley Authority. He’s such a great guy and you’ll love his episode.

Thank you for listening and for allowing me the space to explain my decision making in this unique circumstance.

Cheers...Eric

Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis