91Ƶ

Skip to content

91ƵReally disturbing:91Ƶ Trudeau91Ƶs racist photos worry B.C. First Nation chief

Wet91Ƶsuwet91Ƶen Chief concerned the photos will sow fear in Indigenous communities
18601658_web1_190919-RDA-Canada-Trudeau-Brownface-PIC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears in this photo, released by Time Magazine, in dark makeup on his face, neck and hands at a 2001 91ƵArabian Nights91Ƶ-themed party at Vancouver91Ƶs West Point Grey Academy, where he was a teacher. (Time)

Recently released photos of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface and blackface are causing an uproar across the country and, B.C.91Ƶs Skeena-Bulkley Valley is no exception.

Wet91Ƶsuwet91Ƶen Chief Na91ƵMoks, who also goes by the name John Ridsdale, was unequivocal that it sows fear within Indigenous communities.

91ƵWhen you have an elected official who actually has photos of that subject matter made public, it affects everybody,91Ƶ he said.

91ƵIt91Ƶs such a terrible thing where this country has two parties, either Liberal or Conservative, and you always have to take the best of the worst, I guess.

91ƵThat91Ƶs what we did when he got in last time, and now between him and that Scheer madness, I thought one was more racist than the other, but now it appears they seem to be neck and neck.91Ƶ

The first photo, published on Wednesday by Time Magazine, shows Trudeau in 2001 in dark makeup, wearing a turban during an 91ƵArabian Nights91Ƶ-themed party at the Vancouver private school where he was a teacher.

Trudeau apologized that evening and acknowledged a second photo of him in brownface. On Thursday morning, a third racist photo of him, this time in blackface, emerged.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley Conservative candidate Claire Rattée said that91Ƶs not good enough.

91ƵIt91Ƶs shocking and pretty disgusting to see something like that coming from our prime minister,91Ƶ she said. 91ƵIt was wrong then, it91Ƶs wrong now, and I don91Ƶt think he91Ƶs given a reasonable apology on that at all. I don91Ƶt think that he actually understands the gravity of what he91Ƶs done.91Ƶ

Dave Birdi, the Liberal candidate and himself a person of South Asian descent, downplayed the issue.

91ƵMy main focus is on jobs,91Ƶ he said. 91ƵWith this, I do have trust with Trudeau.

91ƵThose photos of Justin Trudeau don91Ƶt matter. What matters are jobs. And wherever I go in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley that91Ƶs what I hear.91Ƶ

Chief Na91ƵMoks said he worries what it means for Indigenous people going forward.

91ƵCanada is supposed to be a pretty caring and sharing country and when you get down to dirty politics, these things come out, but just the fact that he has these, is really disturbing,91Ƶ he said.

91ƵIt91Ƶs pretty unfair when you have a two-party country. You have options in third and fourth place, but they seem to go down in the polls. This year, I think, the political race is going to get dirtier and dirtier by the day.91Ƶ



editor@interior-news.com

Like us on and follow us on



Thom Barker

About the Author: Thom Barker

After graduating with a geology degree from Carleton University and taking a detour through the high tech business, Thom started his journalism career as a fact-checker for a magazine in Ottawa in 2002.
Read more



(or

91Ƶ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }