Premier John Horgan鈥檚 announcement Thursday was about Indigenous reconciliation, but he couldn鈥檛 avoid a question about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 鈥渂lackface鈥� photos surfacing from 2001 and their effect on race relations.

Trudeau has been called on to explain a series of pictures and a video that surfaced this week, depicting him in blackface makeup. The incidents date from 2001 when he was a teacher at a Vancouver private school, and earlier.

Premier comments on 鈥檚 pictures

鈥� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)

鈥淚 was as shocked as all Canadians to see the images and the prime minister鈥檚 response,鈥� Horgan said Thursday. 鈥淚 spoke with my parliamentary secretary Ravi Kahlon today, who has been a racism outreach and education tour of British Columbia. We鈥檝e seen a rise in racism here in B.C. and in fact across North America and in Europe over the past number of years.鈥�

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Horgan said he doesn鈥檛 believe he has done anything 鈥渃ulturally insensitive鈥� in his life, 鈥渂ut have I done stupid things in my life? Absolutely.鈥�

He said people should be accountable for all of their conduct, even if it occurred many years ago.

鈥淚f I could offer any advice to the prime minister, it is to acknowledge that it was absolutely foolish, and to put it in the context of school setting, even harder to get your head around,鈥� Horgan said. 鈥淏ut I am not without fault when it comes to stupidity, I assure you of that. I grew up in an era before Facebook, and I鈥檓 very grateful for that.鈥�

tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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