Horacio Arruda, director of Quebec public health, has issued a tearful public apology for his role in a dance video during the novel coronavirus health crisis.
The video clip, which was posted on social media on Monday, sparked criticism from those who felt it was in poor taste during the pandemic.
“If the performance I did — which was intended for one person — made the families who are bereaved feel sad or insulted, I offer you my sincere apologies,” Arruda said during the province’s briefing on Tuesday.
The song is titled Oragio, a play on words involving Arruda’s first name and the French word for “thunderstorm.” It features Arruda and Rod le Stod performing what they call a “confinement dance” over the artist’s lyrics.
The artist said the money raised from the video would be “donated to an organization helping young homeless people in Montreal.”
When asked about the performance, Arruda said on Tuesday that he did not know that the organization in question hadn’t been contacted in advance and that he thought the video was only being posted to the artist’s personal page.
Arruda added that he hadn’t listened to the lyrics, which translate roughly in English to “Everywhere on Earth there is an oragio / My lightning rod is Horacio / We are lucky to have François Legault /Suspend all my rights, I give you the go.”
The video quickly sparked criticism from viewers and the Refuge des jeunes, the organization intended to receive the donations. France Labelle, the director-general of the shelter, said in a statement on Facebook that the time for such a video “has not yet come.”
Quebec’s top doctor, who has been a mainstay at the province’s briefings on the pandemic, said he didn’t think the video was posted with bad intentions and he apologized if his actions hurt anyone. Arruda added that he contacted the shelter to say he is sorry.
“Each night, by two o’clock, I wake up to see how many people are dying,” he said, adding that his heart is heavy every time he learns of new victims.
“For me, statistics are persons, are families. And never I wanted to insult anybody.”
—With files from the Canadian Press