Recently, Justin Trudeau humanized himself. Since being elected as prime minister, Trudeau has become a celebrity figure, known internationally and arguably more so than Stephen Harper ever was. As a celebrity figure, all of Justin’s actions are constantly watched and scrutinized, so perhaps it’s not surprising #elbowgate made the news.
When I first heard about “elbowgate,” it was through Facebook. It seemed like everyone had something to say. Comments I read included: “I can’t believe Trudeau MANHANDLED the Conservative whip,” and “as if he elbowed her in the boob, he shouldn’t be allowed to be a feminist anymore.” I also heard about the situation on the radio and from friends of mine, and assumed a serious fight must have broken out in the House of Commons.
My opinion of the situation changed when I actually watched what happened. For those that haven’t seen the video, Conservative whip Gordon Brown attempted to get to his seat to vote when his path was blocked by New Democratic Party (NDP) MPs. Trudeau then got up from his seat, grabbed Brown by the arm, and pulled him through the crowd. While pulling him, his elbow barely grazed NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau’s breast and she dives away like a professional soccer player, claiming to be injured by his physical abuse.
Many articles are now saying that Canada’s honeymoon with Trudeau is over, and that Canadians have lowered their opinion of him. In truth, I think that Canadians can now see him for who he is: a human, just like the rest of us.
We all make mistakes. Trudeau should have been aware of the spotlight that was on him, and the way that the media would spin his involvement. However, his actions were not bad enough to deserve any media attention at all. Political scandals have been nicknamed with the suffix ‘gate’ over the years, stemming from the Watergate scandal. The fact that this event is being referred to as “elbowgate” gives it a connection to Watergate, and to Hillary Clinton’s more recent “emailgate” scandal, and that is uncalled for.
It’s pretty ridiculous that this was front page news for a full week. It overshadowed the bill they were debating and basically anything else that Trudeau has done so far in his position as prime minister. It’s a situation that would have been resolved with a simple “oh, sorry,” had it happened to anyone else, the same kind of apology we Canadians give inanimate objects when we bump into them.
If anyone in this situation was acting childishly, it was the NDP members of parliament that were blocking the Conservative whip’s path. You can see Trudeau’s prior experience as a school teacher came out, as if he were separating fighting children from one another.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not elbow MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the boob. He did not manhandle Conservative whip Gordon Brown. He got involved in a childish argument physically—not aggressively—and handled the situation the way any person would.
