When Cheryl Thompson, a professor at Ryerson University in Toronto, and author of Beauty in a Box: Detangling the Roots of Canada’s Black Beauty Culture, heard the news that Justin Trudeau had covered his face in heavy brown makeup to dress up as Aladdin for an Arabian Nights-themed party in 2001, she didn’t think first of her extensive academic research into the history of blackface in Canada.
Trudeau was a teacher when a photograph of him in the costume—discovered and reported on today by Time magazine—was snapped in the spring of 2001. He was 29 years old, teaching at West Point Grey Academy, a Vancouver private school, and the photo was printed in the school’s yearbook. He’s wearing a theatrical turban, too, gathered close with four happy-looking young women in party dresses.
Blackface has a long, troubling history in Canada, but Thompson has written that it is “rarely framed as a ‘Canadian’ pastime,” in contrast to the wider acknowledgement of how deeply rooted it is in American culture. In Canada, there’s a tendency, she says, to minimize blackface as “a few students and/or teachers making ‘innocent’ mistakes.”
There would be intense pressure from inside the Conservative party to step down, he said, along with demands for a resignation from the opposition parties and pundits. Yet he didn’t recommend that Scheer go fully on the offensive. “Make a statement. Let Canadians judge for themselves,” Lietaer said, adding that the best strategy when your opponent is stumbling badly is to stand back and let them keep falling.
Then how come the “enlightened ones” don’t give a pass to others who made comments, did crazy stuff in their younger days when it wasn’t unusual for the time it occurred...but with PM Selfie, who wasn’t a teenager...it should be brushed off? Ah...sanctimonious hypocrisy!
FLAREfashion For the time? These are the most privileged youth of Canada we are talking about! JFK junior would of never done something like this.
TrippettaRaffe Anyone who says they didn't do things in high school and college they regret is either a liar, a sociopath or an idiot. And all three are out in full force today.
Wasn't unusual for the time Weird, I am the same age, grew up in rural ontario and it has always been unacceptable. I guess things were different in Ottawa.
There are dark forces at play. It’s called divide and conquer. He’s not racist.
I’d add groping to this photo.
Yes, it was unusual for the time. Remember Ted Danson? That was a thing. In 1993.
Omg enough of this kind of bullshit politics. Nobody lives in glass houses. Nobody is perfect. All I want to know is what and how each candidate is going to do for the country. Not dig up shit from 20 years ago. People have way to much time on their hands
I was a teacher in metro van in 2001. Chaired a social justice committee at the time. No one, at all ever, wore black or brown to make themselves look like a poc. Would have called them out if they did.
Times & mores have changed. At that time, there was no idea of “cultural appropriation” and dressing as Aladdin was not thought racist. My black friend wore a pink tutu to our Halloween party and no one thought anything of it.Trudeau’s words & actions since are more important.
This was 20 fucking years ago, Maclean’s, Twenty years ago, please don’t lower yourselves to reporting this kind of garbage, it reduces your relevance to that of used toilet paper.
Tough story to buy into. As a 29 year old, JT grew up in the same home with a father and author of the Charter of Rights of Freedoms. A well celebrated piece of history and moment for our country. The media can’t put this genie back in the bottle.
Karma at its best! Digging up decades old dirt on your opponent can have consequences...sunny ways my a$$.
Look where his hand is.....c r e e p
This would be a lie.
PEOPLE!....It was a party 18 years ago! Times were different, was it right? No! Was it intentionally racist? No!! Would he like to change it? Yes! Can he? No! Did he apologize? Yes! *CONTEXT MATTERS*....Get over it and move on because he's still a better man than Scheer!
‘Campaign disaster’? Really Maclean’s? More truth less drama please.
Trudeau would demand an opponent's resignation for wearing brownface. It's about the hypocrisy.
I didn’t know Gerald Butts is considered a leading academic expert on blackface in Canada?! His credentials are obviously astounding.
1993 and Ted Danson called and said no, blackface was not acceptable or 'usual' in 2001. Nor was it in the 90s.
forsyth_barb Was he portraying Alladin or caricaturing an 'Arab'. What degree of culpability should be assigned to this act? Maybe that distinction is too subtle for you to contemplate. Hurry up and go bankrupt...your time has passed.
How does one become a leading academic expert on blackface? I legit am curious.
Everyone needs to get off their high horses and look at themselves first before passing judgement. No one is a saint out there. No matter who I support, this was all done in the past. It's all about scoring political points. 👎 Trudeaubrownface TrudeauBlackface cdnpoli
cmaconthehill Did your expert check the dates here... Ted Danson issue was 1993 and widely spread. Virginia isn't a one-off. Here's a (growing) list of celebs and lawmakers who got in trouble over blackface
Knock it off Macleans. He was dressed as an Arabian knight - in costume - at a party - having fun. How about the fact that the last Conservative govt spent the Lib surplus & drove up the national debt by billions during peak oil prices?
A non-issue blown up by media and hypocritical politicians. It’s an 18-yr old photo taken at a costume party. Trudeau admitted it was wrong. Scheer is “repulsed” by gay marriage. He panders to xenophobes with his “immigration reform” rhetoric. elxn43
There is actually an 'academic expert' on blackface? That's a pretty narrow area of expertise.....
At least he said sorry! That's more than that dick Trump could ever say for any reason in Hell! LOL!! Besides, back then these costumes weren't seen in a derogatory way, but as costumes only. Everyone has dirty laundry. GEEZ MacLean's get over yourselves!
We all knew blackface was wrong in 2001. Frats we’re getting in trouble for their pimps and hoes parties at that time. A 29 year old high school teacher should know better.
I don’t understand why this is bad or why he apologized..please help me understand before October. I don’t see it as racicism. People are different...and dressing as someone else does not imply hatred or superiority.
I don't understand, I get how bad this looks. Let's all imagine, getting the call 'arabian night? I'm going all out, I'll go as Aladdin and won't cut any corners' oh wait can't do that...it's racist.
I think the Liberals have two choices here: Punt Trudeau out as leader as quickly as possible. Or, inform the nation that they are hypocrites.
Well that leading academic must have went to the same schools as Trudeau because where I came from I would have had my ass handed to me if I did something so stupid.
Who's the white supremacist now ?
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