‘Insulting,’ ‘shocking,’ troubling:’ Party leaders react to photo of Trudeau in brownface

TORONTO (NEWS 1130) — A 2001 photo showing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in brownface is being condemned by the federal leaders of all parties.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was the first to react.

Speaking at a town hall in the Toronto area, Singh called the 2001 photo from a West Point Grey Academy yearbook “troubling” and “insulting.” He says it’s “making a mockery of someone for what they lived and what their lived experiences are.”

Singh said Trudeau needs to answer for what he did and why, “and what does that say about what he thinks about people who, because of who they are, because of the colour of their skin, face challenge and barriers, and obstacles in their life.”

RELATED: Trudeau apologizes for ‘racist’ brownface yearbook photo

“Racism is real,” he says. “People in this room have felt it. I’ve heard the stories, I’ve experienced it in my life. He has to answer those questions.”

Trudeau has since apologized for the photo, saying he is “pissed at himself,” and that it was racist, but he didn’t know that at the time.

Singh went on to suggest the discovery showed a pattern of behavior, saying that while Trudeau seems nice, he is a different person when he’s out of the public eye.

In a tweet following the apology, Singh says it’s not about what Trudeau did, but instead it’s about how people of colour experience racism.

“Tonight is not about the Prime Minister. It’s about every young person mocked for the colour of their skin. The child who had their turban ripped off their head. And those reliving intense feelings of pain & hurt from past experiences of racism. To you, I say you are loved,” he said.

Meantime, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer says the photo shows Trudeau is not fit to lead.

“Like all Canadians I was extremely shocked and disappointed when I learned of Justin Trudeau’s actions this evening. Wearing brownface is an act of open mockery and racism. It was just as racist in 2001 as it is in 2019. What Canadians saw this evening is someone with a complete lack of judgment and integrity and someone who is not fit to govern this country.”

Green Party leader Elizabeth May took to Twitter to express her shock and demand an apology.

I am deeply shocked by the racism shown in the photograph of Justin Trudeau. He must apologize for the harm done and commit to learning and appreciating the requirement to model social justice leadership at all levels of government. In this matter he has failed.

— Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay) September 19, 2019

With some analysis on Trudeau’s apology, John Stall with 680 News says it’s unclear whether people will accept his statement.

“It’s hard to say at this stage whether the apology is going to be enough for those who are most offended. It certainly won’t be enough for the opposition, who are focusing their entire campaign on his character, so this will distract the Liberal campaign in the next couple of days, and it will be added to the long list of reasons why his opponents are saying his character is not worth re-election.”

– With files from the Canadian Press