Photo Source: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/joe-oliver-groping-allegations-snare-justin-trudeau-in-a-trap-he-created-himself
#GROPEGATE
If you aren't aware, there is a big scandal going on with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that people are calling "Gropegate." To sum it up, back in the summer of 2000 Trudeau attended the Kokanee Summit festival in Creston, British Columbia. A female journalist reported to her boss that Trudeau groped and inappropriately handled her at the event. The local newspaper the Creston Valley Advance published a quote of Trudeau's apology (if you can really call it that) at the time:
"I'm sorry. If I had known you were reporting for a national paper, I never would have been so forward."
Photo Credit:
https://twitter.com/kinsellawarren/status/1004504658403119105
- kinsellawarren
The journalist has said that the incident absolutely happened but that she has no interest in pursuing the issue further. Regardless, the people have been demanding answers. Before we get to this, let's provide some additional context.
In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum 2018 Justin Trudeau, a self-described Feminist, said:
"Me Too, Times Up, the Women’s March – these movements tell us that we need to have a critical discussion on women’s rights, equality, and the power dynamics of gender. Sexual harassment, for example – in business and in government – is a systemic problem and it is unacceptable. As leaders, we need to act to show that truly, time is up.
We must each have a well-understood, established process in place to file allegations of workplace harassment. And when we receive those complaints, we must take them seriously.
As women speak up, it is our responsibility to listen, and more importantly, to believe."
Official government transcription of the entire speech can be found at:
https://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2018/01/23/prime-minister-keynote-speech-world-economic-forum-2018
Or you can watch the video footage at:
When first called upon to address the allegations, on Sunday July 1st at a Canada Day celebration, Trudeau responded:
"I remember that day in Creston well. It was a.. a foundation... avalanche foundation uh... event to support, to support avalanche safety. Uh, I had a... a good day that day. I don't remember any uh... negative interactions that day at all."
Watch the video footage of this presented by CBC news here:
Most recently he has been further questioned on the matter in which he continues to insist that he is confident that he did nothing inappropriate. He also admits to being aware of the original editorial when it was printed back in 2000. He also admits that neither him or his staff have reached out to the reporter who made the original accusation. Trudeau further tries to explain himself by claiming that men and women often remember things differently but when asked twice if an independent investigation into the incident would be made, he avoided answering. Trudeau seems to indicate that instead of an investigation that he would simply continue to personally reflect on the incident.
For footage and mainstream media commentary on this, you can watch this video by government funded CBC news:
Another thing to recall is the manner in which the allegations against conservative politicians Patrick Brown and Rick Dykstra were handled earlier this year, both having been forced to resign their posts. For more on this, you can view the following video:
In addition, these two incidents resulted in the enactment of Bill C-65. A detailed explanation of this bill in easy to understand language can be found at the link below:
https://globalnews.ca/news/3992737/bill-c-65-what-does-it-do/
In Summary
The main reason this story has been getting so much coverage seems to be the blatant hypocrisy of Prime Minister Trudeau. He has made a big deal in the past about being a Feminist and stating that women's claims of sexual harassment need to be taken seriously and most importantly to be believed. However, when he is on the receiving end of such allegations, he insists that he is confident that he did nothing inappropriate, claims that men and women remember encounters differently and then twice dodges questions about whether an investigation will be made.
What are your thoughts on the gropegate scandal? Were you satisfied with Trudeau's response to questions on the matter? Should the incident be investigated? Should Trudeau resign his post, as others in political office facing similar accusations have done? Does this affect whether or not you would vote for him in the upcoming October 2019 election? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Please share your opinions in the comments section below.