Vancouver businessman who released Trudeau brownface photo says Canadians had a right to see it
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

VANCOUVER —The Vancouver businessman who gave Time magazine a 2001 yearbook photo of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau in brownface has released a statement. “Earlier this month I communicated with a reporter from Time magazine regarding the existence of a photograph showing Justin Trudeau wearing Brownface at an event while he was a teacher at West Point Grey Academy,” Michael Adamson said in a Friday statement published by a news wire.Adamson said he is a “past member” of the West Point Grey Academy community, a school Trudeau taught at, and that he was “aware of gossip surrounding the existence of this photograph.”Adamson said there was no political motivation for sharing the photo.“I am not and have never been a member of a political party. I received no payment for releasing this photograph. My decision to provide it to Time Magazine was motivated solely by the belief that the Canadian public had a right to see it.”Here’s the full statement:“Earlier this month I communicated with a reporter from Time Magazine regarding the existence of a photograph showing Justin Trudeau wearing Brownface at an event while he was a teacher at West Point Grey Academy.As a past member of the WPGA community, I had been aware of gossip surrounding the existence of this photograph and was in a position to provide a copy of it from the school yearbook to the Time reporter.I am not and have never been a member of a political party. I received no payment for releasing this photograph. My decision to provide it to Time Magazine was motivated solely by the belief that the Canadian public had a right to see it.This statement will serve as the only public comment that I will be making on this matter and I ask the media and others to respect my privacy and that of my family.”Cherise Seucharan is a Vancouver-based reporter covering crime and public safety. Follow her on Twitter: @CSeucharan