Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes a selfie with people during a visit to supporters and workers at the EVRAZ Regina steel factory in Regina on Sunday, July 1, 2018. (Michael Bell/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Trudeau denies groping allegation, says he doesn’t recall ‘negative interactions’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied allegations of groping a female reporter during an event he attended 18 years ago in British Columbia, saying he does not recall any “negative interactions” on that day.

Speaking to reporters during a Canada Day celebrations stop in Regina on Sunday, the prime minister addressed for the first time an allegation dating back to 2000, when Trudeau, who was 28 years old at the time, was visiting a music festival in Creston, B.C.

The incident is alleged to have taken place at the Kokanee Summit, where money was being raised for the Avalanche Foundation, a charity Trudeau became involved with after his brother, Michel, died in an avalanche in 1998.

“I remember that day in Creston well, it was an Avalanche Foundation event to support avalanche safety. I had a good day that day. I don’t remember any negative interactions that day at all,” Trudeau said.

In the days that followed the alleged incident at the music festival, an unsigned editorial appeared in the Creston Valley Advance accusing Trudeau of “groping” and “inappropriately handling” a young female reporter while she was on assignment. It suggests the woman felt “blatantly disrespected” but provides no other details about what occurred.

The editorial suggested that the day after the incident Trudeau offered an apology of sorts: “I’m sorry,” he is quoted as saying. “If I had known you were reporting for a national paper I never would have been so forward.”

When contacted by CBC News about the story, the woman in question said she was not interested in being associated with any further coverage. She also asked that her name not be used and that she not be contacted about the story again.

With files from CBC News and The Canadian Press

Categories: Politics
Tags: ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.