Comedian Russell Peters is under fire for comments he made while hosting the Juno Awards on Sunday.
Peters, who hosted the ceremony in Ottawa along with musician Bryan Adams, called Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly “hot” before introducing her on stage.
He claimed he wasn’t sure why she was there, “but she’s hot, so who cares!”
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He also mentioned the number of young women in the audience, saying “Look at all the young girls. This is a felony waiting to happen.”
Joly says that Peters’ comments were clearly inappropriate, adding that this type of humour does not have a place at the Juno Awards.
The minister says that she is proud to represent an industry worth $53 billion, noting Canada is the third largest exporter of music in the world.
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“We need to make sure that all our role models are supporting the importance of gender parity,” Joly said. “I really hope that he takes that into consideration and understands … the importance of what he said.”
The comment about the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who was there to present Ruth B with her Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, sparked outrage on social media.
READ MORE: Edmonton’s Ruth B wins Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Peters’ “felony” joke gained a lot of social media backlash against the comedian’s hosting job.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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