Justin Trudeau Wore Brownface at 2001 'Arabian Nights' Party While He Taught at a Private School

[WhiskeyGrinder]

https://time.com/5680759/justin-trudeau-brownface-photo/

Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, wore brownface makeup to a party at the private school where he was teaching in the spring of 2001. TIME has obtained a photograph of the incident.

The photograph has not been previously reported. The picture was taken at an “Arabian Nights”-themed gala. It shows Trudeau, then the 29-year-old son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, wearing a turban and robes with his face, neck and hands completely darkened. The photograph appears in the 2000-2001 yearbook of West Point Grey Academy, a private day school where Trudeau was a teacher.

Earlier this month, TIME obtained a copy of the yearbook, The View, with the photograph of Trudeau in brownface from Vancouver businessman Michael Adamson, who was part of the West Point Grey Academy community. Adamson was not at the party, which was attended by school faculty, administrators and parents of students. He said that he first saw the photograph in July and felt it should be made public.

On Wednesday, Zita Astravas, the media relations lead of the Liberal Party of Canada, which Trudeau is the leader of, confirmed that the Prime Minister was in the photo. “It was a photo taken while he was teaching in Vancouver, at the school’s annual dinner which had a costume theme of ‘Arabian Nights.’ He attended with friends and colleagues dressed as a character from Aladdin,” said Astravas. Trudeau is planning on addressing the photograph to the media later this evening, according to the Astravas. The prime minister’s official director of communications did not return multiple calls.

Photo at link.

[bitterross]

1. He's the PM of Canada. I could care less.

This is like Trump continuing to use Hillary as a foil. Just not relevant. If the citizens of Canada care, they'll do something about it.

[malaise]

7. Elections have been called in Canada

This is par for the course from the Canadian RWs

[RhodeIslandOne]

16. Canada is still in the infancy of dirty politics I guess

In this country, you can be an open racist and sex predator and get elected.

[malaise]

17. Rest assured the US is not the only country where that is true

The truth is that the dirty elections wars financed by US interests in other countries have come home to roost.
SAD!

[Celerity]

19. indeed, and funny how those things sometimes come back to bite us in the arse

Time Magazine

July 15, 1996


http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19960715,00.html






“Yanks to the rescue”: Time’s not-so secret story of how Americans helped Yeltsin win 1996 presidential election

https://off-guardian.org/2018/02/19/yanks-to-the-rescue-times-not-so-secret-story-of-how-american-advisers-helped-yeltsin-win-the-1996-presidential-election/

[malaise]

21. And that's the tip of the melting iceberg

[Kingofalldems]

2. Didn't work.

[applegrove]

3. Whyyyyyyy!

[democratisphere]

4. More minutia.

Krist. Will it ever end?!

[tirebiter]

5. Not for 1001 nights

Scheherezade has limits

[msongs]

6. one halloween I painted my face orange with black stripes like a tiger nt

[Loki Liesmith]

8. Can't imagine caring

[Joe941]

9. Not good.

[pwb]

10. Put me down for who gives a rats ass?

It is the intent that counts.

[MadDAsHell]

11. Wow. As a TEACHER at the school?? nt

[Lady Freedom Returns]

12. Why do I need to care?

I live in SW US. We have way bigger issues to handle.
Like the mistreatment of immigrants, the way Hispanics in general are being treated, the flare up of crimes against African Americans.
We also have a pretty big homeless problem, specially Vets. New rules about SNAP and how it will hurt many and strane the food banks.

Someone who is high profile in Canada wear black face a while ago is their moral issue. We have our hands full with our own.

[Greybnk48]

13. So what. n/t

[Dorian Gray]

14. Apparently

I have an unpopular opinion here:

Why in heavens name would he or anybody else ever think that was appropriate? I grew up in the 80s, and I was taken aback when guys I grew up with dressed in blackface to emulate on of their favorite Basketball players. (Which happened twice, that I recall.) I thought it sucked then. It sucked in 2001. And it certainly doesn't play well now.

His goose is probably cooked.

But, this is where I agree with you all, that's for canada to decide.

[applegrove]

22. Don Lemon had two aa guests on. They both said it was bad but the

context was not like he was in blackface standing beside someone with a KKK hood on. Will be up to the adults in politics and the people of color in canada to hash this out in the next few weeks. Trudeau's record on diversity is strong. The apology is good. We shall see.

[Caliman73]

23. Agreed. That was my first reaction.

What mechanism inside one's brain makes you decide that dressing in ethnic clothing and painting your face and body is a good idea? I racked my brain to think of a time where I might have dressed in blackface but couldn't think of anytime past childhood where I would have thought is was remotely appropriate.

I do agree that this is an issue for Canadians to decide, and I understand that the apology seemed to be sincere and the Trudeau has a good record on diversity issues. I just for the life of my can't understand what makes people think that it is an okay thing to do.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

15. The variety of responses in this thread is interesting to me.

[JI7]

24. i'm a brown person and he apologized . Canada can do as they wish, but i'm tired

of US reporters making this out to be something bigger or worse than the shit Trump does just with his vile existence .

[Takket]

18. is the man he is today, and the policies he supports, worthy of forgiveness for this?

[RhodeIslandOne]

20. His opponents don't give a fug

Doug Ford?