Trudeau facing double standard debate
The story is well known by now. A young reporter in Creston, B.C. alleges she was “groped”, as she put it, in the summer of 2000 by 28-yearold Justin Trudeau, single, famous and in town for a fundraising party.
Despite an editorial that ran in the paper where she worked, which lay dormant until recently emerging on social media, official Ottawa media assiduously avoided asking the PM a direct question about the story. Only when a Regina reporter put the question to the PM, the dam burst.
In three separate statements over six days, the prime minister kept digging himself deeper. The first statement was “I don’t remember any negative interactions that day at all.” Then, as the international media jumped on the story, Trudeau’s account became “I am confident that I did not act inappropriately.”
By the third attempt, he repeated the “confident” angle and meandered into a barely coherent homily on men and women having different experiences and interpretations of sexual advances. He prattled on about “we” and “us, reflecting on past behaviours” and having a time of “collective awakening.”
Many of us thought this isn’t about “us” or “we.” It’s about you, Justin, and your own choices, standards, behaviour and consequences.
While the woman at the centre of the story said she would not participate in the controversy, this further made the issue about Trudeau and the suggestion of hypocrisy.
He frequently reminds us of his strong feminist credentials (hint: Genuine people don’t need to tell you of their authenticity) and the PM has resolutely stated in recent months that men are “responsible for what they’ve done in the past” and women victims are to be believed.
Having used this approach to publicly shame others and torpedo the careers of several Liberal MPS, the obvious question arises whether Trudeau applies a different and stricter standard to others than to himself.
Frustrated and annoyed when the questions persisted, Trudeau found a temporary geographic answer by jetting off to Latvia for several days of photo ops with troops and jogging before attending an important NATO meeting in Brussels.
But as the PM returns to Canada, the questions will return. Mainly because the answers remain so elusive and contradictory.
What a wonderful and heartwarming odyssey as 12 young boys and their soccer coach were freed from a cave in northern Thailand where they’d been stranded by rising floodwaters.
While Hollywood will inevitably get its hands on this incredible tale of survival and courage, the gripping three-week drama did play like something from central casting.
The boys and their coach lost in a flooded cave, as desperate families cling to thin hope of survival. After 10 days, brave divers find the castaways, alive and surprisingly healthy.
As an unprecedented rescue begins, the world’s most accomplished cave divers – a Canadian, Aussies, Chinese, British, American, Scandinavian dive experts – all pitch in to help the Thai military. The race against time ticks as floodwaters and rain levels rise and the vexing question swirls of how to get the survivors out alive.
So treacherous was the way through the murky waters that a veteran Thai military diver died. Finally, a painfully slow extrication began as more rain threatened. Three days later the rescuers victoriously emerged with the last survivor and everyone was safe. And through it all – no recriminations, finger pointing, politics, sniping or second guessing.
For a few days we were all part of the planet’s humanity, people – in the age of instant information – unified by hourly updates, hope and gratitude, all pulling together for the common cause of hoping for 12 boys and their coach.
We can all use a bit more of what Thailand taught us. Gormley is a broadcaster, lawyer, author and former Progressive Conservative MP whose radio talk show is heard weekdays from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on 650 CKOM Saskatoon & 980 CJME Regina.