Within the span of 24 hours, Canada watched Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election campaign become marred by evidence of three different instances of him in brownface.
The first, and most prominent image shows Trudeau at an ‘Arabian Nights’ themed party in 2001, wearing a turban and completely covered in dark paint. To many across Canada and internationally, this news is disappointing but unsurprising.
For many international audiences and media, this would be the first real scandal that has launched a lasting questioning of Trudeau’s image and his politics. In a global news cycle inundated by a constant barrage of Trump to the south, and Brexit and Boris Johnson politics from across the pond, Trudeau seemed like a breath of fresh air.
Since the Liberal leader’s step into the political spotlight, Canada has amassed a large amount of soft political power, in no small part due to the leader’s charisma.
For those who live in Canada, however, the reaction seems to have been polarized by politics: those who want the Liberal party to stay in power, and those who want the Conservative party to be elected this October.
Trudeau’s apology—like many other apologies for Canadian colonization and racism—belongs in a different world, where the injustices of the past do not continue into the present, and where Canada is genuinely a ‘post-racial’ country.
Many commenters on social media are saying that this news does not sway their vote away from the Liberals, even going as far as to write the scandal off as a non-issue.
The timing of the appearance of these images is suspicious, as well as the disapproving reaction of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, who is famously known for comparing the LGBT+ community to “pig’s tails.” Scheer’s and the Conservatives’ attempt to pander towards the same groups they have historically ostracized is a hilariously hypocritical stance. This is enough for anyone to connect the dots between ‘brownface scandal’ to ‘smear campaign.’
Trudeau mobilized quickly to hold a press conference and publicly apologize for these brownface incidents. His apology had a rare quality among those of other celebrities and politicians caught up in scandals: it was genuine. He did not make excuses for himself, nor did he look to find blame in someone other than himself. In that, the prime minister has done the best that he could.
However, some have pointed out that no journalists asked pointed questions about Trudeau’s mindset on racism. Many of the questions asked were framed incontext of the upcoming election. For a large population of Canadians, this scandal has brought many concerns to the front.
It is concerning that the appearance of these photos has become talked about only in the sense of how it will upend the upcoming election. It is concerning that many people defending Trudeau have decided that, at the most, it was only the action of donning brownface that was racist and not Trudeau’s intent or Trudeau himself.
It is concerning that the valid anger, hurt and disappointment of Black and Brown communities is being swept under a rug of, “Ah well, he could always be worse.”
Canada may not display the same outright xenophobia as in the U.S. But that does not erase our history of colonization and racism, nor the ways in which that history has shaped our country today. We would be remiss to ignore the racist, privileged implications of these brownface photos.
Trudeau’s apology—like many other apologies for Canadian colonization and racism—belongs in a different world, where the injustices of the past do not continue into the present, and where Canada is genuinely a ‘post-racial’ country. His apology assumes that his history of blackface does not perpetuate present racial issues.
Black and Brown Canadian communities deserve more than a one-and-done apology. There needs to be a clear statement and action plan on how to fix the racist issues that are at the heart of this scandal, that create problematic scandals like this. Otherwise, his apology may as well state that this will happen again.
Feature image from file.
