, 10.09.2019 12:22 PM

The rumours about Justin Trudeau

Rumours. It’s more than a Fleetwood Mac album.

Rumours about Justin Trudeau have littered Canadian newsrooms like confetti since the start of this election. Rumours about Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.

As we now know, some of the rumours about the Liberal leader turned out to be true.

So, in 2014, this writer was told there were affidavits detailing inappropriate conduct between Trudeau and various young people. I simply did not believe it, but I raised the allegation directly with Trudeau’s most-senior adviser.

To my surprise, he acknowledged the allegations had been made in affidavits, but said that Trudeau’s insular inner circle were not worried. They had rebutting affidavits of their own to respond.

Subsequently, a female parliamentarian sent me an editorial written by a B.C. reporter in which she alleged that Trudeau had groped her, quote unquote, at a beer festival. While Trudeau said he did not act inappropriately, he apologized, saying “people can experience interactions differently.”

In 2016 and again in 2017, this writer was told by a senior Liberal that photos existed of Trudeau wearing blackface, dating back to his time as a teacher at a private school in Vancouver. The Liberal war room knew about the photos, he said.

Efforts to find any proof, however, were unsuccessful. It did not occur to us to simply check the private school’s year books. I — and others, as it turned out — did not believe Trudeau could be that stupid. To pose for photographers wearing blackface.

But it was true: At the age of 29, while a teacher and in a position of responsibility with children, Trudeau had indeed partied in racist blackface. Turned out he had done it several times, too.

Did the blackface rumour — now the blackface fact — mean that Trudeau was a racist? In no time, several non-white Liberal MPs hustled to microphones to say that, sure, the blackface incidents had happened. But Trudeau wasn’t a closeted drawing-room bigot, they insisted.

And then Omer Aziz, a former Trudeau government aide, authored a scalding op-ed in the Globe and Mail. He wrote about Trudeau and his inner circle, and their attitudes towards minorities: “Condescending attitudes were regularly revealed. Minorities were undermined, ghettoized. The casual disregard of the privileged was systemic. I felt like I could not breathe.” Aziz quit.

Those are just some of the rumours. Some turned out to be true, others are just false, or without a shred of proof. One is presently making the rounds on a fake-news website that has fooled many in the past, this writer included. It should not be taken seriously, in any way.

But those of us privileged to hold positions in the news media, whether we admire Trudeau or not, have an obligation to investigate and report. When the subject-matter is the prime minister of Canada — a man who has repeatedly held himself out as a feminist and anti-racist and a family man — we in the media owe our readers and our listeners the truth.

On a segment on a Toronto radio program this week, and in an opinion piece on Canadaland, this writer was criticized for wondering, in a single tweet, why a Globe and Mail reporter asked Trudeau about why he abruptly left the aforementioned Vancouver private school. My answer: Because it is relevant. Because it is newsworthy. Because it is important.

When the media start acting as an extension of any political party’s war room — when we proactively self-censor — we do our readers and listeners a grave disservice. We work for them, after all.

Rumours may be just rumours. But with Justin Trudeau, as we have seen, oftentimes the rumours turn out to be the truth.

29 Comments

  1. Ontario John says:

    So a brave soon to be unemployed CBC reporter saw the video clip of Liberal MP Judy Sgro defending Groper wearing blackface, and asked the NDP leader about it. He was not impressed. Sgro has since apologized for saying black people are proud of Groper wearing blackface and it was just overblown in the media. Must be Doug Ford’s fault. I can’t believe these morons are still leading in the polls.

  2. Canny Scott says:

    Who do you say the Buffalo Chronicle is fake news? It reported much of the SNL scandal — before the Canadian media had it — that turned out to be true. Are you absolutely confident their current story is fake?

  3. Phil says:

    what continues to stun me is that there is no traction to these stories in the media. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE in the Canadian political spectrum who would not be pushed through the incinerator of public opinion without trial? Take poor Patrick Brown, not quite the range of rumours but enough to bury him in days. Jack Layton’s massage parlour thing may have taken away the prime minister’s office. How does spawn of Castro get away with it (okay a rumour for sure but surely Trudeau must have some cloak of immunity not available to mere mortals.

    • Vancouverois says:

      I don’t think Layton’s vote was greatly affected by the massage parlour story. It was too much of a drive-by smear to change the mind of anyone who would have considered voting for him anyway.

      • Phil says:

        Maybe you’re right although that smear didn’t propel him higher did it? I’m coming from recalling at one point there were pundits calling for a possible dipper win and popular vote did not match the projections. It’s maybe a bad example but not really the point. I’m not getting why this man is so Teflon like. WHO out there would get the pass he has been granted MULTIPLE times?

    • Pedant says:

      I still think the Brown rumours were an inside job (within the PC party), frankly. Whatever happened to his accusers?

  4. the real Sean says:

    So, I guess it can’t be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that our racist, sexist, incompetent, corrupt PM had sex with students while he was a teacher. Liberals rejoice.

  5. Earnest says:

    We don’t need more grist for the rumor mill. I’m certain there’s more dirt out there but Liberal MSM consider it impolitic given they’re in Truduck’s pocket. But what we have is enough. Trudeau’s core support of the apathetic and uninformed is fickle. He’s as stupid as they are but savvy Canadians have Truduck’s number. The polls are beginning to acknowledge what the coffee shops have known for half a year. Truduck is a loser and must be humiliated from Papineau as well as from Ottawa with his villainous gang of Ultra-progressive minions. Then it will be Hallelujah, free at last from this abomination.

    • Derek Pearce says:

      “Villainous gang of ultra-progressive minions”? Shit like that is laughable and only helps him. I’m not voting for him but you aren’t helping defeat him with silly hyperbole like that. This isn’t Small Braindead Animals.

  6. Max says:

    Time for BFF Gerry Butts to make a call for Marie Heinen. Rock meet Bottom.

  7. David Baker says:

    Mr. Kinsella,

    Your courage as a Liberal reporting these matters touching on the heir apparent’s apparent gross hypocrisy is commendable.

    Perhaps some brave Canadians want to say it as it is before an Election (in which Trudeau could re-elected), and are worried about another 4 years of this…but see the personal risk that they face (to wit, as occurred in the case of Vice-Admiral Norman).

    In other words, he’s a vindictive little hypocrite too!

    If he’s re-elected look forward to audits from CRA.

    There will be a list I’m sure. Maybe true patriots, and the intellectually honest will be on the list.

    Watch your back!

    Best,

    David Baker
    Nova Scotia

    • Robert White says:

      Sheila Copps has already identified Warren Kinsella as being the most intellectually honest Canadian Journalist in the land.
      Warren is undoubtedly top of the list, and I’ll bet dollars-to-donuts that Mr. Butts reads this website too.

      Warren Kinsella is sweetness & light whereas Mr. Butts is the Prince of Darkness.

      I’m a Liberal so Warren need not worry about his back.

      RW

    • Derek Pearce says:

      I have more faith in the CRA and the independence of federal employees than to think they would cave to demands for partisan audits by elected politicians. Even though our politics is deeply uninspiring these days we are not in fact a banana republic. It’s important to keep perspective sometimes.

  8. Sean says:

    The big Ottawa rumor that I keep hearing about Trudeau is that he’s a compulsive serial adulterer who uses the Liberal staff pool (including men as well as women) as his personal harem. He’s allegedly slept with a very large number of people who work for him.

    DISCLAIMER: All of this is third hand and I don’t know the truth. It could be exaggerated. Who knows? But that’s what people say around these parts. I’m not claiming anything myself, just reporting chatter.

  9. William says:

    With all due respect, this column is not particularly helpful in resolving the on-going issue of Trudeau’s credibility, behaviour and character. While on one hand the suggestion is made that rumours about Trudeau often prove to be true, on the other there is an allusion that the current rumour concerning inappropriate relations with a student is false because of its appearance in a supposedly questionable source despite another reputable media source pursuing the story first. The former makes one wonder whether Mr. Kinsella is attempting to dance around a super-injunction (where even the publication of the existence of an injunction is banned given that such information would be as damaging as the basis of the injunction itself) as his continued failure to state outright that there is no truth to this rumour speaks volumes. Combining that with the ‘smoke’ that: 1) Trudeau has a propensity to lie, 2) he left right in the middle of a school year (what dedicated teacher with only wonderful memories of the time does that without a good reason?), 3) the reason for his leaving has kept changing (e.g., there was not a fit because a student was disciplined, he simply moved on, a leave of absence to spend time with family, etc.), 4) he hired a high-priced law firm to issue a statement about a simple, inconsequential act, 5) the allusion from his wife and the existence of rumours that he is a serial philanderer, and 6) supposedly the media source that was pursuing the source was delayed in distributing its print edition on the day that the story was to break (at which time Mr. Kinsella—who likely has inside information—simply stated that the story was not coming rather than the story was not coming because the rumours were false or could not be substantiated) suggest that there is a fire. I would be interested in being corrected if any of this is invalid.

  10. Ontario John says:

    Oh, Oh! Trudeau’s Toronto Star is on the attack this morning about evil Warren Kinsella and the evil Conservative Party spreading rumors about their hero Justin. Better watch out Warren, I sense a Heather Mallick rant coming.

  11. Dan Blackstone says:

    Notwithstanding the fake (ish) “Buffalo Chronicle” article some have referenced here, I personally have ZERO doubt in my mind that hush money and NDA’s have been in play with former students and/or staff at the West Point Grey Academy.

    A question though, why isn’t Trudeau suing them? Perhaps to keep the spotlight off it I suppose, and he could be waiting till after the election.

    Or maybe he knows he wouldn’t have a case to sue them..

    • Glen says:

      So first there’s speculation and rumours yet to be substantiated, trying to tar and feather Trudeau. And now, you’re suggesting he’s guilty because he’s hasn’t sued anyone over the unsubstantiated rumours?

      Do you really want to go there? Come on.

  12. Alberta Steve says:

    Where there is smoke there is usually fire. Given Trudeau’s long list of transgressions & lies, I no doubt whatsoever that there is MUCH more dirt on him out there. I am just sorry that it will not all be revealed before the election. I really wonder what the legal bills & shush money is costing the party & Trudeau personally. And then there will likely be a divorce settlement in his near future.
    Ho simply doesn’t deserve another 4 years, simply on moral grounds.

  13. I. Wilson says:

    Have you asked The Groper why he no longer has a wedding ring on? What about the rumour of his infidelity in BC? What about the rumour of his affair with a student? What about the fact that most think he’s a fraud?

    • Joseph says:

      He still wears a wedding ring (see last night’s french debate) but his wife hasn’t been with him at all this campaign. Unlike 2015 and all other candidates this campaign.

  14. Veritas says:

    Trudeau accusor lands a seven-figure NDA to keep quiet about West Grey departure
    buffalochronicle.com
    Yes, this is being disputed as faux news.
    What I would like to know, however, is if Trudeau has indeed paid out for an NDA. If he has, what is it for?
    Surely media can report if a NDA has been made/paid for, even if it cannot state the reason.?

    [https://buffalochronicle.com/2019/10/10/trudeau-accusor-lands-a-seven-figure-nda-to-keep-quiet-about-his-west-grey-departure/]

  15. This Busy Monster says:

    I’m into children. Send me spam. thisbusymonster@gmail.com

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