Premier John Horgan91Ƶs announcement Thursday was about Indigenous reconciliation, but he couldn91Ƶt avoid a question about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau91Ƶs 91Ƶblackface91Ƶ photos surfacing from 2001 and their effect on race relations.
Trudeau has been called on to explain a series of pictures and a video that surfaced this week, depicting him in blackface makeup. The incidents date from 2001 when he was a teacher at a Vancouver private school, and earlier.
Premier comments on 91Ƶs pictures
91Ƶ Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
91ƵI was as shocked as all Canadians to see the images and the prime minister91Ƶs response,91Ƶ Horgan said Thursday. 91ƵI spoke with my parliamentary secretary Ravi Kahlon today, who has been a racism outreach and education tour of British Columbia. We91Ƶve seen a rise in racism here in B.C. and in fact across North America and in Europe over the past number of years.91Ƶ
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Horgan said he doesn91Ƶt believe he has done anything 91Ƶculturally insensitive91Ƶ in his life, 91Ƶbut have I done stupid things in my life? Absolutely.91Ƶ
He said people should be accountable for all of their conduct, even if it occurred many years ago.
91ƵIf I could offer any advice to the prime minister, it is to acknowledge that it was absolutely foolish, and to put it in the context of school setting, even harder to get your head around,91Ƶ Horgan said. 91ƵBut I am not without fault when it comes to stupidity, I assure you of that. I grew up in an era before Facebook, and I91Ƶm very grateful for that.91Ƶ
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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