'He has to answer for it': Canadian politicians pile on Justin Trudeau over his 'brownface' Aladdin outfit from 2001
- Politicians in Canada condemned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday after the publication of a photograph showing him wearing brownface make-up in 2001.
- The photograph was published Wednesday by Time magazine. It shows Trudeau attending an "Arabian Nights" party in which he dressed as Aladdin. His hands and face are darkened and he wears a turban.
- The leader of Canada's New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh - a Sikh who wears a turban himself - said the act is "insulting" and that Trudeau "has to answer for it"
- Conservative leader Andrew Schreer said "brownface was racist in 2001 and is still racist in 2019".
- Canada is in the midst of an election campaign, in which Trudeau is fighting for a second term in office.
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Politicians in Canada have roundly condemned Justin Trudeau after a photograph of showing the Canadian prime minister wearing brownface make-up at a party in 2001.
The photo was published Wednesday by Time magazine and depict a 29-year-old Trudeau in an Aladdin costume. He was a school teacher at the time.
In the image, Trudeau's face and hands are covered in dark make-up and he wears a turban:
Politicians from rival parties condemned Trudeau, who apologized and acknowledged that wearing the costume was a racist act.
The leader of Canada's New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh - a sikh who wears a turban himself - said that Trudeau's costume was "insulting" and "troubling".
He said "Any time we hear examples of brownface or blackface it's making a mockery of someone for what they're lived experiences are."
Singh later tweeted that the image will bring up "intense feelings of pain & hurt" in people marginalized for their appearance, and that they should be the focus of the news cycle rather than Trudeau.
Elizabeth May, the leader of Canada's Green Party, said she was "deeply shocked at the racism shown in the photograph of Justin Trudeau". She said he had "failed" to set an example of social justice.
The leader of the opposition Conservative party, Andrew Scheer, said "brownface was racist in 2001 and is racist in 2019".
"What Canadians saw this evening was someone with a complete lack of judgement and integrity and someone who is not fit to govern this country."
Maxime Bernier, founder and current leader of the right-leaning People's Party of Canada made a point of not calling out Trudeau for racism but instead accused him of hypocrisy.
He said in a tweet the prime minister is "the biggest hypocrite in the country".
Trudeau has apologised for his actions publicly.
When asked whether the incident was a one-off, he told reporters that it was not.
Trudeau described dressing up in blackface at a high school talent show to sing "Day-O," a Jamaican folk song performed by African-American singer and activist Harry Belafonte.
Here is a video of the full apology: