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Trudeau, who was a 28-year-old high school teacher at the time, said he’s aware that the young woman may have perceived the incident differently than he did.

“I’ll be blunt about it — often a man experiences an interaction as being benign or not inappropriate and a woman, particularly in a professional context, can experience it differently and we have to respect that and reflect on it,” he said.

The scandal, which some have dubbed GropeGate, has been dogging Trudeau who has presented himself as the feminist prime minister.

He has been quick in the past to condemn men accused of sexual misconduct, and has indicated the importance of believing their victims.

Trudeau said he has been engaged and active on issues around “sexual assault and behaviours” since his early 20s in university.

“There is an awful lot of reflection to be had as we move forward as a society on how people perceive different interactions,” he said. “Like I said, I do not feel that I acted inappropriately in any way, but I respect the fact that someone else might have experienced that differently.”

Trudeau was asked if he would support an independent investigation into the allegations, but he did not comment on that suggestion.

Neither he nor his team have tried to reach out to the reporter in B.C., and Trudeau said it would be inappropriate for him to do so.

aartuso@postmedia.com