Justin Trudeau leaves open possibility of more blackface photos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a fresh apology to his fellow Canadians on Thursday over his blackface and “brownface” scandal — and left open the possibility that more photos of him in the racist makeup could surface.
Speaking to reporters in Winnipeg, Trudeau said he was “deeply sorry” for appearing in three images with the skin-darkening makeup.
“What I did hurt them,” Trudeau, the son of late former Canada Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, said of his constituency. “The buck stops with me and I have a responsibility.”
The Liberal Party leader stopped short of putting an exact number on the amount of times he’s dressed up in blackface.
“I am wary of being definitive about this because recent pictures that came out I had not remembered,” he explained. “And the question is, how can you not remember that? The fact is, I didn’t understand how hurtful this is to people who live with discrimination every single day.
“I’ve always acknowledged that I come from a place of privilege but now I need to acknowledge that that comes with a massive blindspot.”
A 2001 photo surfaced Wednesday night showing Trudeau wearing “brownface” and a turban during an “Arabian Nights” party at a private school in Vancouver where he was teaching at the time.
Trudeau admitted to donning blackface a second time to sing Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song (Day O)” during a high school talent show.
And on Thursday, a third instance of Trudeau in blackface emerged.
“We can confirm that it is him and it’s from the early 1990s,” said a Liberal Party spokesperson in a statement to CBC.
Trudeau said he never mentioned the blackface flaps during a 2015 vetting process because he was embarrassed.
“I never talked about this. Quite frankly, I was embarrassed. It’s not something that represents the person I’ve become or the leader I try to be,” he said.
The 47-year-old politician is seeking a second term in the Oct. 21 election.
