TORONTO -- It鈥檚 too soon to say whether photos of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in blackface and brownface will cost him the election, but advocates say the controversy should spark a broader conversation about systemic racism in Canada.
Trudeau has apologized for the photos, which he called racist, and said that his track record as a politician shows he is an ardent supporter of diversity.
On a deeper level, the controversy points to systemic racism in Canada, according to activist and journalist Desmond Cole, who has written extensively on anti-black racism in Canada.
Cole highlighted the fact that no one at the 2001 event took issue with Trudeau鈥檚 Aladdin costume at an 鈥淎rabian Nights鈥 themed dinner.
One party attendee, Wayne Hamill, who is white, that he doesn't recall anyone expressing offence over Trudeau's dark makeup. Sunny Khurana, a parent who appeared in the photo with Trudeau, then a teacher,
鈥淕rown adults in all these different places he was doing this were also OK with it. He was a teacher teaching children and he went to a party like this and none of this peers thought there was anything wrong with what he was doing. That really says something about our country,鈥 Cole said.
Sonia Kang, a professor of organizational behaviour and HR management with the University of Toronto, said she believes Trudeau when he says that, at the time, he didn鈥檛 consider the costumes racist.
鈥淏ut I think the fact that someone like Justin Trudeau, (who) grew up the son of a prime minister, could not know that as racist really speaks to how systemic and entrenched racism really is within our society. And I think that鈥檚 what we really need to talk about,鈥 Kang said.
She also raised concerns about the timing of the photos, which surfaced on day eight of the election campaign. Kang said the photos are now being used as a political fodder.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a commodification of outrage. It鈥檚 a commodification of our morality. And that in itself is also racist,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 trying to use people as pawns to move them around, to get them outraged, to get them thinking about this issue at a time now rather than focusing on the fact that this exists all the time. It鈥檚 not just during election time that people are racist.鈥
Cole described Trudeau鈥檚 past behaviour is 鈥渂latant racism.鈥 As for the political fallout, he said conversations around strategic voting are unproductive.
鈥淲e have to stop doing this thing where we tell people of colour to shut up in a moment like this and to just vote for Justin anyway because if we don鈥檛 we鈥檙e going to get Andrew Scheer,鈥 he said.
鈥淚 have to live as a black person in this country with this racist climate that allows Justin Trudeau to get this high in life without ever being told you鈥檙e being racist, without ever really being checked. That鈥檚 the country I have to live in no matter who wins the election.鈥
On Thursday, Trudeau reached out to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh 鈥渆xpressing a desire to talk,鈥 Trudeau鈥檚 campaign team said. The NDP leader said he is open to having a conversation but refuses to be part of any 鈥淧R campaign鈥 to exonerate Trudeau.
Cole said Trudeau shouldn鈥檛 put that onus on Singh.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not up to anybody, particularly a person of colour, to forgive Justin Trudeau,鈥 Cole said.
鈥淲hat he wants is 鈥 to use a person of colour and say, 鈥榃ill you forgive me? Will you help me move on?鈥 instead of taking responsibility for what he鈥檚 done and going away.鈥
PHOTOS ARE 鈥楢 DISTRACTION鈥: PROF
But there are other race-related issues that aren鈥檛 getting as much attention this election, Kang said, such as Bill 21 in Quebec.
The measure, passed by Quebec鈥檚 CAQ government with popular support, bans some public workers, such as teachers and police officers, from wearing religious symbols, such as turbans or hijabs, at work.
they wouldn鈥檛 attempt to scrap the law. Trudeau has been more vague, saying his government might intervene but that doing so would be 鈥渃ounter-productive.鈥
Singh has ardently spoken out against Bill 21 and released a political ad earlier this month showing him without a turban as he discussed how proud he is of his identity.
鈥淓very party, in truth, is using that as a way to gain ground in Quebec. No one is going to stand up and fight for the rights of those people because it鈥檚 useful to them,鈥 Kang said.
鈥淪o I think all of these conversations that need to be happening are being forgotten because of how salacious these images are. People are getting caught up in is he racist, is he not racist, how do you feel, how does this person feel, and that鈥檚 really a distraction from the real issues. 鈥
Cole said that, no matter what happens on Oct. 21, he鈥檒l continue fighting racism in Canada.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to keep fighting racism no matter who the prime minister is and I鈥檇 like to hear that attitude from people instead of telling us we have to settle for a racist prime minister like Justin.鈥
With files CTV鈥檚 Rachel Aiello and The Canadian Press
