Alberta鈥檚 premier says images of federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau wearing black and brown face makeup should make it easier for voters to choose in next month鈥檚 election.
Jason Kenney, who is just back from a tour urging investment in Alberta鈥檚 energy sector, calls the prime minister鈥檚 past behaviour embarrassing and unacceptable.
鈥淚 found the revelations about the prime minister鈥檚 penchant for blackface frankly bizarre. He is trying to blame this on society, that we must learn from this. No, prime minister this is about you, not us,鈥� Kenney said Monday.
鈥淚鈥檓 51 years old. I鈥檝e hardly lived a sheltered existence and I鈥檝e never seen anybody, ever do that 鈥� insulting, racial mockery.鈥�
Trudeau has apologized for the photographs. One was taken when he was a teacher in 2001 at a Vancouver private school. Another was taken when he was in high school.
He has said he had a blind spot because of his privilege growing up in a well-known family and now recognizes the photos were racist.
The Liberal party had no immediate response to Kenney鈥檚 comments.
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Kenney used the opportunity to pump up his friend, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who Kenney says grew up in a family that didn鈥檛 own a car and lived in a modest townhouse.
鈥淚 very much hope that Canadians will opt for a prime minister that is in touch with the lives of ordinary people, who is dignified, who is focused on the cost of living, and who doesn鈥檛 have to apologize for these types of embarrassing incidents in the future.鈥�
Kenney has had a long history of locking horns with Trudeau going back to the time when Kenney was the federal minister of citizenship and immigration and Trudeau was the Liberal critic on the file.
Kenney has previously referred to Trudeau as an 鈥渆mpty trust-fund millionaire who has the political depth of a finger bowl鈥� and 鈥渙ne of the worst prime ministers for Alberta in our history.鈥�
Kenney said Trudeau鈥檚 name was on the lips of many international investors on the premier鈥檚 recent trip to the United States.
鈥淲hat I heard in New York from some of the world鈥檚 largest investors is the re-election of a Trudeau government would likely continue the freeze on investment in the Canadian energy sector in particular,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hese are very sophisticated folks who invest tens of billions of dollars and they are not, as I heard, prepared to risk additional investment with a federal government that seems openly hostile to the energy sector.鈥�
Kenney said if that happens Alberta will have to find other ways to persuade investors to return to the province.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
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