Allegation of groping (around 2000)

The allegation dates back to August 2000 at a music festival in Creston, British Columbia (the Kokanee Summit Music Festival) in support of the Avalanche Foundation. At the time Trudeau was 28 years old and working as a teacher.

An unsigned editorial in the local paper the Creston Valley Advance alleged that Trudeau "inappropriately handled" a young female reporter. The editorial included a quote attributed to Trudeau: "If I had known you were reporting for a national paper, I never would have been so forward."

The alleged reporter was later identified as Rose Knight in a 2018 statement.

In July 2018, Trudeau publicly responded for the first time. He said he "remember[s] that day in Creston well … I had a good day that day. I don’t remember any negative interactions that day at all."

Later he confirmed he did apologise at the time, but insisted he did not believe he had acted "inappropriately". He added: "I do not feel that I acted inappropriately in any way but I respect the fact that someone else might have experienced that differently."