Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was forced to tell two black schoolgirls why he wore blackface during an appearance on a Facebook Watch show.
“I want you to ask Mr. Prime Minister anything you want, and he has to answer honestly because what kind of a monster lies to a child?” host Jessi Cruickshank of New Mom, Who Dis? told a group of school kids, who were brought on the show Tuesday to ask Trudeau questions.
“Why did you paint your face brown?” a pair of black girls asked the prime minister.
“It was something I shouldn’t have done, cause it hurt people,” Trudeau said. “It’s not something that you, you should do. And, that is something that I learned. I didn’t know it back then, but I know it now. And I’m sorry I hurt people.”
“But did you paint your nose and your hands brown?” one of the girls asked in a follow-up question.
“Mmmhmm, yeah. And it was the wrong thing to do. And I had a good conversation with my kids around taking responsibility for mistakes, and making sure that we’re always sticking up for each other, and not teasing each other, and being respectful towards each other,” he said.
“And I’m sorry that I hurt you as well. I’m sorry that I hurt kids, who, you know, get face teasing and discrimination because, because of the color of their skin. That’s just not right in this country, or anywhere around the world, and we all have to work together to make sure that that doesn’t happen, ok?”
[Read more: Trump: I was ‘surprised’ by Trudeau blackface pictures]
The girl who asked the question nodded in “yes” after Trudeau’s question.
Last month, old photos and video of Trudeau wearing blackface surfaced, forcing him to apologize for the incidents.
