From Harvey Weinstein to Morgan Freeman, the #MeToo movement is moving from Hollywood to Canada to the much loved Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
A former newspaper reporter has said Mr. Trudeau apologised to her after what she described as an inappropriate encounter nearly two decades ago.
Rose Knight confirmed she is the reporter referred to in an editorial in British Columbia’s Creston Valley Advance.
The unsigned editorial said Mr Trudeau “inappropriately handled” a reporter covering the festival and apologised to her by saying, “If I had known you were reporting for a national paper, I never would have been so forward.”
She said in a statement she doesn’t plan to take the matter further.
“I enjoyed my career as a reporter, but it ended a long time ago. I avoided issuing a statement earlier out of concern for my and my family’s privacy.
“The incident referred to in the editorial did occur as reported.
“Beyond this statement, I will not be providing any further details or information. The debate, if it continues, will continue without my involvement.”
The day after the statement was released, Mr. Trudeau apologised. However, the Prime Minister remembers the encounter in another way.
“I’m confident that I did not act inappropriately but I think the essence of this is that people can experience interactions differently.
“Part of the lesson that we need to learn in this time of collective awakening is a level of respect and understanding for the fact that people, in many cases women, experience interactions in a professional context and other contexts differently than men.
“I think people understand that every situation is different and we have to reflect and take seriously every situation on a case-by-case basis.”
In an interview with CBC Radio’s Metro Morning, Mr. Trudeau explains why he apologised after the encounter:
“If I apologised it was because I saw she had been found made uncomfortable and I did not want her to be uncomfortable regardless of whether I knew why she was uncomfortable or not.”
What does this mean for Mr. Trudeau:
Image credit: Getty Images
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