People In Quebec Say They Still Support Trudeau After Blackface & Brownface Scandal

- Canadians are reeling with the news that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has, on at least 3 separate occasions, donned blackface or brownface.
- In photos and videos below you can see the PM covered in makeup and even dressed up in what could be seen as culturally appropriative dress.
- Below are honest reactions from people in Quebec.
- Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.
The Internet and most of Canada is all a-buzz with the latest news of photos and videos showing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing both blackface and brownface.
Photos and videos surfaced over the last 24 hours showing Trudeau dressed up with his face, neck and arms painted in what Trudeau claims was an Aladdin costume for an Arabian Nights party.
More recently, Global News shared exclusively-sourced footage of Justin looking much younger but again wearing make-up covering his face, neck, hands and even his legs seem to be painted, which you can see through ripped jean pants.
Several Canadian political party leaders have spoken up to condemn the behaviour and Trudeau was quick to apologize in a statement made to media on his campaign bus.
But regular Canadians have been sharing their opinion of the matter, as well, with countless tweets and Twitter replies to the video of Trudeau's apology.
These responses have been from Liberals and Conservatives alike, and the responses have been quite varied. Here are some reactions from people in Quebec and Montreal, specifically.
Below is the apology Trudeau issued on his campaign bus almost immediately after the story broke in Time Magazine Canada.
"I dressed up in an Aladdin costume and put makeup on. I shouldn't have done that," Trudeau told reporters, and als… https://t.co/a7y4yyQUD6— Twitter Moments (@Twitter Moments) 1568853293.0
.M. Philippe Couillard, diriez-vous que Justin Trudeau souffle sur les braises de l'intolérance? 🤔 #polcan… https://t.co/wZQyXx5HrM— PParent450 (@PParent450) 1568898025.0
Above you can see one of the instances, where Trudeau was allegedly dressed up as Aladdin for an Arabian Nights party.
@TwitterMoments https://t.co/Hyi3J94PCg— Ms_LVW (@Ms_LVW) 1568894485.0
The GIF above perfectly encapsulates the reaction of thousands of Canadians after the news broke and the photos and videos began to circulate...
This was going to be big.
One of the most common reactions seems to be people wanting to acknowledge that 2001 was a different time and, in 2019, we are far more cognizant of the implications that come along with wearing make-up to don the skin tone of an ethnicity different from your own now.
@CBCPolitics ....God, CBC..seriously, i think we all know why. We live now in a different time. Show me a picture o… https://t.co/M21KJxFJPq— Just Rob! (@Just Rob!) 1568896984.0
Though the tweet above is quick to acknowledge that Trudeau is a well-educated individual that was likely up to date on relevant literature which maybe should have given him the inclination to think twice.
Many Canadians who took to Twitter to share their opinion on the incident felt it was important to acknowledge the way that Liberals or other non-Conservatives would have reacted if it had been a different candidate in the hot seat.
Imagine for a second if @AndrewScheer or @MaximeBernier had had photos from their past sporting a blackface. Imagin… https://t.co/fA7bCnMtD1— Gad Saad (@Gad Saad) 1568852002.0
While others were also wondering if this scandal could be what it takes to give the election over to the Conservatives.
Will @AndrewScheer pull off a victory because of @JustinTrudeau blackface?— eddy g 🍁 (@eddy g 🍁) 1568898084.0
Trudeau, you had one job: be less awful than the other options. 🤦— Faye Delacour (@Faye Delacour) 1568899041.0
The question will be if Liberal voters will still vote for Trudeau next month, despite this embarrassing trip into Trudeau's past.
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It seems that a lot of voters who had planned to cast their ballot for Trudeau in October still have every intention to do so.
Disappointed in Trudeau. But don’t think I’ll vote for the party that proposed the racist “Barbaric Cultural Practi… https://t.co/yrCy5w8TFf— leonardo 🇮🇹 (@leonardo 🇮🇹) 1568898000.0
Part of that group is of the mind that, while what Trudeau did was contestable, the alternative is worse.
@RadioCanadaInfo Tout le monde au Canada, connaisse par coeur Justin Trudeau; multiculturalisme extrême et hyper in… https://t.co/SzhuECYNHM— Richard Gauthier (@Richard Gauthier) 1568896646.0
Translation: Everyone in Canada knows Justin Trudeau by heart; extreme multiculturalism and hyper inclusion of all, to the point of being annoying. To accuse Justin Trudeau of being racist is like saying; that Pope Francis is not Catholic or the Dalai Lama is not a Buddhist ...
Many others felt it important to separate the act from the person, highlighting Trudeau's extreme desire to be inclusive as proof that while these photos show racist acts, Trudeau himself is not actively a racist.
There are also countless Canadians who are wondering if the public outcry, particularly from more Conservative voters, is less about the racist act at hand and more about simply smearing Trudeau in the weeks leading up to election day.
@TwitterMoments Apology accepted. Can someone now awknowledge bill 21? That is far worse— jasdeep bains (@jasdeep bains) 1568857838.0
So it does seem that Quebecers, at large, are ready to overlook the incident at Trudeau's hands, but wish to instead focus on other issues, like the oft-considered xenophobic and Islamophobic Religious Symbols Ban, sometimes known as Bill 21.
More proof of that comes via CBC writer Jonathan Montpetit, who highlighted that not a single Quebec newspaper had Trudeau has the main story on their front page this morning.
Here's a look at some front-pages across Quebec this morning: https://t.co/gdDMHJ3yxa— Jonathan Montpetit (@Jonathan Montpetit) 1568894015.0
One of the pictures does appear, quite small, in the top right-hand corner of the paper, though nowhere near as noticeable as Celine Dion or Kendall Jenner.
In Justin Trudeau’s home riding of Papineau in Montreal, most people don’t seem bothered by the photos. This is a r… https://t.co/TEBG2H48j0— Jay Turnbull (@Jay Turnbull) 1568896540.0
Another CBC writer tweeted out that voters in Trudeau's Montreal riding of Papineau didn't "seem bothered," though it's not clear where or how he garnered that information.
And, because this is Twitter after all, a lot of people were just in it for the GIFS, the lulz and the snarky replies.
Well @realDonaldTrump guess the press will let you off the hook tonight, cause @JustinTrudeau has got ya beat today… https://t.co/mLHQUZIpe2— Jeremy White 🗯 (@Jeremy White 🗯) 1568850860.0
In the news today, Faith Goldy is taking heat for associating with a known racist. https://t.co/egPByC6zMv— 222 Minutes (@222 Minutes) 1568896164.0
@TwitterMoments Umm what I don't get is how he didn't know about this pic until it was "found" https://t.co/9KTreZWh3S— Lewdog (@Lewdog) 1568899028.0
What do you think of this whole situation? Are you disappointed in Trudeau, or not surprised?
Do you think it's a big deal and that Trudeau should resign, as some are demanding? Or did his apology seem sincere?
Let us know what you think on Twitter @MTLBlog.