Justin Trudeau's poll numbers dive in wake of blackface scandal: 'It's a body blow'
A recent poll conducted by Nanos Research has suggested that the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's conservative rivals would secure 35.5 percent of the national vote, while Liberals would secure only 32.9 percent in next month's election. The Liberal party received a significant blow last week after Time magazine published a picture of Trudeau in brown makeup at an Arabian Nights party in 2001. The image was reportedly taken when the Canadian leader was a 29-year-old teacher.
Trudeau issued a prompt apology shortly after, saying that what he did was racist. However, troubles for the Canadian leader weren't over as two more images of him wearing blackface in school surfaced on social media. Trudeau, in his initial apology, had pointed out the existence of such pictures. Trudeau, after the controversy and a series of apologies, last week, said that he will go ahead with his re-election campaign and is set to visit Hamilton in Ontario on Monday. Reports state that he is set to talk about healthcare in the region.
Pollster Frank Graves of EKOS Research, in an interview, remarked on the fresh polls, saying: "It's a body blow. Will the Liberals be able to recover? Who knows? There's no way of putting lipstick on a pig and making this go away." He added that his polling, which is yet to be shows a shift toward Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer and away from Trudeau across the nation. The pollster said that the scandal has erased the 15-percentage-point lead the Liberals held in Ontario, Canada's most populous province.
Liberal insiders, reportedly, have a more optimistic approach on the issue noting that relatively fewer voters are bringing up the issue.
The Canadian leader, in a press conference on his campaign plane last week, acknowledged that the picture was racist and apologized for not having known better. "I'm p***ed off at myself, I'm disappointed in myself," Trudeau said. "When I was in high school I dressed up at a talent show and sang ‘Day-O’ with makeup on," he revealed even before the blackface images were released. "I should have known better then but I didn't, and I am deeply sorry for it," he said. "I shouldn't have done that. I take responsibility for it. It was a dumb thing to do. These are the situations I regret deeply."
Trudeau has been hit by the scandal just a week after he launched his re-election campaign and the resulting backlash could undermine his chances for a possible win with less than five weeks to go before the country's elections.