Embroiled in a scandal over his past wearing of blackface and brownface, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Thursday he had a message for racialized Canadians specifically.
“What I did hurt them, hurt people who shouldn’t have to face intolerance and discrimination because of their identity,” he told reporters.
“This is something that I deeply, deeply regret.”
His comments come after Global News obtained video showing the Liberal leader in blackface, the third instance of racist dress to come to light in 12 hours.
The video was shot in the early 1990s, however it’s not clear where it takes place.
WATCH: Trudeau seen in blackface for third time in Global News exclusive video
- Premier Danielle Smith to announce Alberta’s border security plan in response to tariff threat
- Canada Post, union resolve complaint over temporary layoffs
- How the Ford government in Ontario plans to escalate trade war with the U.S.
- Trudeau shares border plan with premiers in meeting on Trump tariff response
The video, obtained exclusively by Global News, shows Trudeau covered in what appears to be dark makeup and raising his hands in the air while laughing, sticking his tongue out and making faces. He’s wearing a white T-shirt, and his jeans are ripped at the knees. It appears as though his arms and legs are covered in makeup as well.
It does not appear the video was shot at the same time and place as the other photos of Trudeau in racist makeup.
Global News obtained the video from a source within the Conservative Party of Canada and independently verified it to be true with Liberal party officials before reporting on it.
A senior member of the Liberal campaign confirmed it was Trudeau early Thursday morning. The spokesperson refused to comment further, simply referring Global News back to Trudeau’s comments on the matter from Wednesday evening.
The source did not shoot the video, but Global News subsequently reached the person believed to have shot the video. That person would neither confirm or deny that it was Trudeau in the video, nor would they confirm the time and place of the video.
WATCH: Party leaders, Canadians react after images surface of Trudeau in racist makeup
The video is the third instance of Trudeau in brown- or blackface to come out since Wednesday night.
The first, released by Time magazine, shows Trudeau in 2001 at an “Arabian Nights”-themed gala held by the West Point Grey Academy, the private school in British Columbia where he worked as a teacher.
The school said the event, organized by a “culturally diverse” group of parent volunteers, was intended to be “celebratory and respectful.”
“That said, cultural sensitivities have evolved over the past 18 years, and I want to reaffirm that all school programming, activities and events aim to be progressive and inclusive,” Stephen Anthony, head of the school, said in a statement.
The second instance, which Trudeau admitted to while apologizing for the first, is a photo of him at a high school talent show performing the song Day-O “with makeup on.”
The Liberal party confirmed to Global News that this is the photo referred to by Trudeau on Wednesday night.
In his comments to reporters in Winnipeg on Thursday, Trudeau said: “Darkening your face, regardless of the context or circumstances, is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface.
“I should have understood that then and I never should have done it.”
Get daily National news
Pressed by the media to say how many times he appeared in racist makeup, Trudeau said he was wary of being definitive.
-
![]()
Trudeau says he now believes the act of ‘darkening your skin’ to be ‘unacceptable’ -
![]()
Trudeau says he didn’t disclose incidents of racist makeup because he was ’embarrassed’ -
![]()
Analysis: Fallout from Justin Trudeau photo scandal -
![]()
Trudeau gets emotional as he recalls ‘difficult conversations’ with his kids over racist makeup photos -
![]()
2019 Federal Election: Trudeau asked whether it’s time for him to step down as Liberal Leader -
![]()
Trudeau says he “had not remembered” other acts of blackface during Wednesday night apology
“I think 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,” he said.
“I have always acknowledged that I come from a place of privilege but now I need to acknowledge that this comes with a massive blind spot.”
Trudeau said he had never disclosed his wearing of blackface and brownface to the Liberal party.
“Quite frankly, I was embarrassed,” he said.
Trudeau first apologized Wednesday, saying that at the time, he didn’t think his actions were racist. Now, he said, he recognizes wearing brownface is racist and regrets his actions.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “I should have known better but I didn’t and I’m really sorry.”
Canadaland published another photo from the 2001 gala on Thursday morning that shows Trudeau smiling with his arms around two men who appear to be Sikh. The photo was published by the school in an April 2001 newsletter and was found via the Wayback Machine.
The newsletter includes several other photographs of gala attendees dressed in costumes. No one else in the photographs is wearing brownface.
The revelations, which prompted international news coverage, have spurred questions over Trudeau’s political future.
Global News has learned he held a conference call Thursday morning to reassure Liberal candidates.
He apologized for his conduct and said he would get back to anyone who wanted to reach out to him.
He did not take questions or discuss resigning as Liberal leader. Trudeau said he hopes to move forward by working hard on regaining Canadians’ trust.
WATCH: Jagmeet Singh reacts to Justin Trudeau blackface video
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who made an emotional statement after the first photo was made public, weighed in on the new incidents involving Trudeau on Thursday morning.
Singh said it’s up to Canadians, not him, to decide whether to forgive the Liberal leader.
WATCH: A look at Canada’s long history of blackface
“I have to really point out what we’re seeing now is an ongoing pattern of behaviour that’s really going to hurt Canadians,” he said. “They’re going to see the prime minister mocking the realities that so many Canadians live with. And it is not a joke.”
Singh said he believes that this “pattern” is “proof of something that is real.”
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer was peppered with questions about the controversy during a campaign stop in Quebec on Thursday morning.
Scheer said Trudeau’s apology is “not a real apology.”
WATCH: Scheer says Trudeau’s apology moot after he ‘lied’ about blackface video
“Canadians might have been able to accept his apology if he had been truthful and open, if he hadn’t based that apology on a lie,” Scheer said. “But he was specifically asked if there were other instances where he engaged in this type of racist behaviour and he indicated that there was only one other incident, and now we know there are at least three.”
Scheer believes this shows that Trudeau has “one set of rules for himself and one set of rules for the rest of us.”
Asked when he first became aware of the photos and videos, Scheer said he saw the Time magazine photo on Wednesday night and the video on Thursday morning.
The video, he said, was at one point brought to a member of his campaign.
“I can say that there was an individual that was concerned by this and brought it to our campaign, and our campaign turned it over to a news outlet for verification and left it in their hands,” he said.
WATCH: Scheer says Trudeau wouldn’t have survived CPC vetting process
Scheer later commended Singh for his statement on the matter.
“He responded with class and dignity and he was obviously speaking on behalf of so many Canadians who have been a victim of racist acts or mockery like that,” he said.
Trudeau delayed campaign plans on Thursday in the wake of the scandal. According to his staff, he instead made phone calls to candidates and to leaders in different ethnic communities across the country.
WATCH: Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s full remarks on brownface photo
Following his news conference on board the Liberal campaign plane Wednesday night, Trudeau was due in Winnipeg to resume his election tour. He’s scheduled to take part in a rally in Saskatoon on Thursday night.
Jody Wilson-Raybould, who was kicked out of the Liberal caucus during the SNC-Lavalin affair, weighed in on the revelation at a rally in Vancouver on Wednesday.
She said she was “extremely disappointed” by the news and, at first, didn’t think it was real.
“I’m incredibly proud to be an Indigenous person in this country, one that has experienced racism and discrimination,” she said. “And it’s completely unacceptable for anybody in a position of authority and power to do something like that.”
— With files from the Canadian Press and Kerri Breen
Comments