Marnie Recker, the photographer responsible for snapping the viral images of a shirtless Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on a beach in B.C., is slamming the federal Conservative Party for re-purposing the photos without her consent.
Related: Shirtless Justin Trudeau Photobombs Couple’s Beach Wedding In B.C.
The photos, which were originally intended for a couple’s wedding, have been included as part of the Conservative Party’s latest attack ad campaign, reading, “Canada lost 110,000 jobs recently. And the Prime Minister is still on vacation.”
In a written statement on Wednesday, Recker said, “For a national political party to take my photo, which is clearly watermarked, blow it up so the watermark isn’t visible and use it in this way is unlawful and they should be held accountable.”
Recker noted that the ads appeared on the party’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, as well as its website on August 8. The photographer added that she hired a lawyer to serve the Conversative Party with a cease-and-desist letter, which was sent on Tuesday.
As of Wednesday evening, the images were removed. Representative for the Conservative Party, director of communications Cory Hann, told the CBC, “It’s unfortunate there’s much more interest in, and concern about, a shirtless photo of the prime minister over the 110,000 jobs lost in Canada in the last two months.”
