By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives September 19, 2019
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“Earlier this month, TIME obtained a copy of the yearbook, The View, with the photograph of Trudeau in brownface from Vancouver businessman Michael Adamson, who was part of the West Point Grey Academy community. Adamson was not at the party, which was attended by school faculty, administrators and parents of students. He said that he first saw the photograph in July and felt it should be made public. “The yearbook from the 2000/2001 school year at West Point Grey Academy shows several people, some of whom are still on staff at the school, dressed up for the gala—however only Trudeau appears to have darkened his skin. (TIME) “On Wednesday, Zita Astravas, the media relations lead of the Liberal Party of Canada, which Trudeau is the leader of, confirmed that the Prime Minister was in the photo. “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.’ He attended with friends and colleagues dressed as a character from Aladdin,” said Astravas."
“Trudeau is planning on addressing the photograph to the media later this evening, according to Astravas. “Trudeau has previously garnered regular media attention in the Canadian and global press for his choice of attire. In 2018, he was mocked for the elaborate Indian garb that he, his wife and their three children wore during a visit to India. “TIME reached out to multiple people who attended West Point Grey’s spring gala in 2001, including three of the four women in the photo with Trudeau. Most were reluctant to talk about it. One former staff member declined to comment, citing loyalty to Trudeau. Others said they did not remember Trudeau at the party. Two people contacted by TIME acknowledged the existence of the picture, which has been the subject of gossip within the West Point Grey community."Was TIME providing a major diversion from scandal for Trudeau, or merely trying to come up with a non-Fake News scoop? The Montreal Gazette photo depicting a younger Trudeau with his pants down and fly open? It appeared in a Gazette story headlined ‘Buttony doo-dah’. “Ouchless. That’s the slogan for Levi's 501 button-fly jeans. (Gazette, Feb. 18, 1992) “Thursday night, dozens of students, fond of going ouchless and zipperless gathered at Gert’s pub on the campus of McGill University, in their jeans for a night of comparing, admiring and competition. “Not likely to become an Olympic sport, the “Button-your-Fly Speed Race, involved some serious challengers, Rob Clarkson, Peter Moffett and Justin Trudeau (Yes, THE Justin Trudeau), were the three finalists (of about 17) with the quickest times in buttoning up. Meanwhile, Trudeau who both admitted to and apologized for the brownface picture on his campaign plane last night, may not be aware that his pants down, fly open picture has resurfaced.
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Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.