Justin Trudeau blackface: Third incident of Canadian PM wearing racist makeup emerges

Clip released hours after apology for ‘Arabian Nights’ costume

A video of Justin Trudeau wearing blackface has been released. The clip is the third instance of the Canadian prime minister wearing racist make-up to emerge in the last 24 hours.

The video was first obtained by Global News.

In the footage a young Mr Trudeau can be seen with his face covered in what appears to be dark make-up.

He is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and proceeds to laugh and stick his tongue out at the camera.

It is unclear when and where the video was filmed.

The video was released just hours after Mr Trudeau apologised for wearing make-up to darken his skin at an Arabian Nights themed party in 2001.

The Canadian leader was 29-years-old at the time.

In a photograph from the party, first published by TIME Magazine, Mr Trudeau can be seen dressed in a white turban.

The prime minister, who launched his re-election campaign just a week ago, said he should have known better, when asked about the costume.

“I’m p***** off at myself, I’m disappointed in myself,” he told reporters travelling with him on his campaign plane.

A spokesperson for Mr Trudeau’s Liberal Party confirmed the validity of the photo to TIME Magazine on Wednesday.

“It was a photo taken while he was teaching in Vancouver, at the school’s annual dinner which had a costume theme of Arabian Nights”, a spokesperson said.

Mr Trudeau admitted to a second incident while apologising for the first.

“When I was in high school I dressed up at a talent show and sang Day-O with make-up one,” he said.

“There are people who make mistakes in this life and you make decisions based on what they actually do, what they did and on a case-by-case basis. I deeply regret that I did that. I should have known better but I didn’t.”

The 47-year-old is yet to comment on the video.

The controversy comes as a critical time for Mr Trudeau as he campaigns for re-election on 21 October, with polls saying he faces a serious challenge from Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.

The Canadian leader is already vulnerable following one of the biggest scandals in Canadian political history, which arose when his former attorney general said he improperly pressured her to halt the criminal prosecution of a company in Quebec.

Mr Trudeau has defended himself by claiming he was standing up for jobs.

He is admired around the world for his progressive policies in the Trump era, but the recent scandals have tarnished the prime minister’s liberal credentials in the eyes of some critics.