Canada’s Trudeau admits to racist ‘brownface’ makeup

Embattled prime minister scrambles to get on top of a new controversy as he faces a tight contest against Conservatives. “ communities and people who live with intersectionalities and face discrimination, it is a significant thing that is very hurtful.” Trudeau, once the youthful golden boy of Canadian politics, also admitted to wearing dark makeup singing Harry Belafonte’s 1959 hit Day O at a separate high school talent contest. “I was extremely shocked and disappointed when I learned of Justin Trudeau’s actions this evening.” Exclusive: Justin Trudeau wore brownface at 2001 ‘Arabian Nights’ party while he taught at a private school, Canada's Liberal Party admits https://t.co/j3UobfYNIF — TIME September 18, 2019 “Wearing brown face is an act of open mockery and racism. What Canadians saw this evening is someone with a complete lack of judgment and integrity and someone who’s not fit to govern this country.” Jagmeet Singh, leader of the third-placed New Democratic Party, reacted by calling the behaviour “troubling” and “insulting.” “Any time we hear examples of brown face or blackface, it’s making a mockery of someone for what they live and what their lived experiences are,” he said. “It’s a bit of a challenge for his brand, and voters who are undecided … He’s going to have to convince them this is just a blip.” Politicians in Canada’s southern neighbour the United States, with its history of slavery and segregation, have been embroiled in scandal this year over their alleged wearing of “blackface.” Virginia Governor Ralph Northam refused to resign after first admitting he appeared in a yearbook photograph showing a person in blackface and another wearing Ku Klux Klan robes, only to deny a day later that either individual was him.