Watch: Justin Trudeau says he ‘doesn’t remember’ groping female reporter 18 years ago
Reports of an incident during a music festival in 2000 resurfaced recently.
Him too? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed accusations of sexual assault, levelled against him several years ago, for the first time since he assumed office.
Speaking at a public event in Saskatchewan as part of the Canada Day celebrations on Sunday, he said he did not remember groping a female reporter at an event in 2000. “I remember that day in Creston well,” he told reporters. “I had a good day that day; I don’t remember any negative interactions that day at all.”
At the time of the incident, Trudeau was a 28-year-old teacher and had been attending a music festival sponsored by a beer company in British Columbia. A few days following the event, an unsigned editorial appeared in a local newspaper the Creston Valley Advance that said Trudeau groped an unnamed female reporter who was covering the festival.
The allegations have reappeared over the past few weeks. Trudeau’s comment on Sunday was similar to a statement released by his office in June, saying that he did not think he had any “negative interactions” at the music festival.