If the climate in Canada were different, an 18-year-old allegation of sexual misconduct against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be swiftly addressed, then probably dismissed.
The allegation originally appeared in an August 2000 edition of the Creston Valley Advance, a small community newspaper in B.C. The editorial, which resurfaced earlier this month, claimed that the then-28-year-old Trudeau “groped” a young reporter at a music festival, noting that he only apologized when he learned that she worked for a newspaper.
If there was no merit to the allegation, in this hypothetical alternative climate, the Prime Minister’s Office could simply say so.
If there was merit to the allegation — again, theoretically speaking — Trudeau could concede that he had indeed behaved unacceptably, and remind us that he has since devoted his life to defending the integrity of all Canadians, but especially women.
Again, only if the climate in Canada were different.
In reality, neither of these options is available to Trudeau.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/trudeau-zero-tolerance-1.4723664
