Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is again refusing to be drawn into the controversy surrounding repeated allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump.
At a press conference with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday, Trudeau sidestepped a question about the Republican nominee's behaviour. Multiple American media reports Wednesday night featured women describing being kissed or groped by Trump, without their consent.
"My job as prime minister of Canada is to ensure ... that this relationship goes far deeper than any two personalities at their countries' respective heads," Trudeau said.
"I think, however, I've been very, very clear in my approach as a feminist, as someone who has stood clearly and strongly all my life around issues of sexual harassment, standing against violence against women, that I don't need to make any further comment at this time."
In 2014, Trudeau kicked two Liberal MPs out of caucus amid separate allegations they had sexually assaulted New Democrat MPs.
Last year, Trudeau pledged to have a gender equal cabinet and appointed an equal number of men and women to ministerial roles. Asked why it was important, Trudeau responded "Because it's 2015." That phrase has become a shorthand of sorts, used by his supporters as a rallying cry, and by the opposition as a taunt when they feel he fails to live up to his promises.
It's standard for Canadian politicians to avoid commenting on elections in other countries, particularly in the U.S. Trudeau has so far mostly avoided publicly discussing the American presidential race. Valls, on the other hand, told journalists Thursday morning in Ottawa that he would prefer to see Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the White House, and that Trump has been rejected by the world.
