When Justin Trudeau took office as prime minister and start fulfilling his major campaign promises, one was to appoint a diverse and gender-balanced cabinet -- which he proceeded to do. When a reporter asked why appointing women a priority for him was, Trudeau shrugged and responded, "Because it’s 2015."
The PM took every opportunity to raise awareness about feminist gender politics. Even on the international stage, he urged men to actively promote women’s rights and actively promoted feminism in every way possible.
Sticking up for women's rights is indeed laudable. Sticking up for whatever a woman alleges, especially against his colleagues, is also undoubtedly praiseworthy, given the times we live in. But sticking it to a lady is wrong -- and touching inappropriately any female, it’s totally wrong.
The female reporter who was allegedly groped was "distressed" about an "inappropriate touch" that was "not welcome." Trudeau tells her, "If I knew that you were a reporter of a national newspaper, I wouldn't have been so forward." Sounds like sexual harassment.
So, if we unpack his words, “if I knew" she was not "a reporter”, the man feels he has the right to touch them inappropriately. Sounds not right!
Even on the House of Commons floor, didn’t he unintentionally bump into an MP's breast? Old habits …,
Looks like Feminist Trudeau is a classic Liberal with all his hypocrisy proving to be lies.
In the recent past, Kent Hehr, the Minister of Sports and Persons with Disabilities, resigned because he made sexually inappropriate comments to women during his time in the Alberta legislature.
Trudeau, a self-described feminist, said, "Harassment of any kind is unacceptable, and Canadians have a right to live and work in environments free of harassment."
Liberal MP Darshan Kang faced allegations in his Calgary constituency office of sexually harassing a woman and later resigned as a consequence.
Mr. Trudeau has followed a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to sexual misconduct and harassment of women.
Now when it comes to him, he’s making excuses and running away from reality. But the law, the rules, and his own policies are equal for everyone. He needs to stand by his words and his principals.
Canadians need to stand by the woman he groped. He set the standard of belief in any woman’s accusations on these matters so it’s his turn to be an adult for once and deal with the consequences of his groping -- which is to resign
At the United Nations, Trudeau questioned the media uproar every time he talks about his feminism and promised to “keep saying loudly and clearly that I am a feminist until it is met with a shrug.” So far, he’s done just that, calling poverty “sexist,” gracing feminist memes.
But unsurprisingly Trudeau is today coming across as a spoiled, extremely privileged man, who quickly set the standards for others, but doesn't follow them himself.
Our PM's actions and the values he upheld during the Syrian Crisis were very respectful. He received Syrian refugee families at the airport with lots tears in his eyes. Which another leader would do that? But at the same time, our famously feminist PM goes and gropes Canadian women, and then refuses to take responsibility for his own actions.
When it comes to the apology, he probably tops the list among other global leaders. He is the champion apologizer, complete with hand on his heart and tear in his eye.
This same PM has racked up a track record of ethics violations, and now of groping allegations -- which in his own words he has admitted to. Groping is considered a sexual assault in the criminal code, something Canadians are not ok with. Yes, he does say he is a feminist. Wonder what that translates to in his morally empty brain.
Brampton-based Surjit Singh Flora is a veteran journalist and freelance writer.
