Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Criticized Over 2001 Photo Showing Him in Brownface

One week after he launched his re-election campaign, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has found himself at the center of a racial controversy.

TIME magazine published a resurfaced photo in which the politician is seen donning brownface. The publication reports the image appeared in the 2000-2001 yearbook of a private school where a then-29-year-old Trudeau was teaching. As you can see below, the PM was donning a white turban with his face, neck, and hands covered in dark makeup. The photo included three other women, one of whom was being embraced by Trudeau. 

Zita Astravas, a spokesperson for Trudeau’s Liberal Party, confirmed the man in the image was, in fact, the prime minister.

“It was a photo taken while he was teaching in Vancouver, at the school’s annual dinner which had a costume theme of ‘Arabian Nights,'” Astravas said. “He attended with friends and colleagues dressed as a character from Aladdin.”

Trudeau addressed the controversy Wednesday night aboard a plane with reporters. The PM acknowledged that brownface was racist, and expressed regret over his decision.

“I shouldn’t have done it. I should have known better, but I didn’t. And I’m really sorry,” he said. “… I take responsibility for my decision to do that … it was something that I didn’t think was racist at the time, but now I recognize it was something racist to do.”

He continued: “… I’m going to be asking Canadians to forgive me for what I did … it was a dumb thing to do. I’m disappointed in myself, I’m pissed off at myself for having done it. I wish I hadn’t done it, but I did it.”