When Trudeau’s carefully crafted image crumbles
It’s jarring when a carefully crafted image crumbles, Kathy Brock says.
The pictures of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface and blackface deeply shocked Canadians. For Liberals, it was a punch in the gut to see a leader who had espoused values of inclusiveness, diversity, equality and respect caught on camera in dress that mocked those values. For other Canadians, the pictures were deeply disturbing. A leader who had levelled the accusation of racism against others seemed hypocritical and duplicitous. His past actions and indiscretions quickly took on new meanings, with many Canadians, especially Liberals, wondering how to reconcile this side of Trudeau with the man they believed they knew and, in some cases, adored and respected.
A number of separate incidents now are being linked with the pictures of Trudeau in brownface and blackface. Let’s recall a few: Trudeau’s inappropriate choice of elaborate dress in India; Trudeau riding a black horse into a First Nation community to deliver an apology; Trudeau using a boxing match with an Indigenous senator to prove he was not a lightweight in politics; Trudeau roughly elbowing aside a female opposition member in a fray in the House of Commons; Trudeau tolerating rumours about and then demoting a respected Indigenous female cabinet minister; Trudeau ejecting two respected women from his party; and Trudeau mocking an Indigenous community member protesting about mercury poisoning the water in her community. Trudeau has since either apologized for these actions or justified them as well-intentioned.
Now, these rationales and his record of actions seem unacceptable if not outright damning.
We can begin to understand the seeming contradictions in Justin Trudeau’s character if we separate his behaviours that appear shocking, dismaying or disappointing from those that appear consistent with the values of respect and inclusiveness. To do this, we need to think about his character, training and a good part of the reason for his success in politics.
Canada, like other western liberal democracies, has entered an era of image politics that is fuelled by social media. Parties all have key people who scrutinize public opinion and devise campaign strategies to build winning coalitions. A core part of this approach to elections is to create an image of the party leader that mirrors the public’s expectations and values. A successful leader is one who can present this image convincingly.
In the Liberals’ case, it meant appearing to embody the values contained in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau fought so hard to entrench for Canadians. Enter Justin Trudeau, a charming and attractive descendent of this much-storied former leader, who spoke compellingly to Charter values and Charter Canadians.
Justin Trudeau’s upbringing and training prepared him for this role. He grew up watching a father who so successfully cultivated his public image that he was likened to a “Magus” by respected writer Richard Gwyn. In university, Justin Trudeau studied the humanities and literature and later taught humanities, math and drama at public and private schools. Throughout his life, he learned how to play to an audience. It explains why he is effective at speechmaking or quick with witty or sarcastic remarks and easily dons costumes without necessarily thinking of the underlying message and implicit racism that these actions might convey. He is performing to his audience.
Trudeau’s past behaviours might seem well-intentioned or excusable, even if they cause uneasiness. The recent pictures, elaborate dress in India and riding the horse might be understood as representing cultural values in particular circumstances, even if they may be seen as mocking those cultures. The boxing match was for charity, although it took advantage of an Indigenous man facing serious personal challenges. The two female former cabinet ministers were ejected from the party by a prime minister proclaiming to protect Canadian jobs. The prime minister apologized for elbowing the female opposition member as an accident, and for mocking the Indigenous protester and for the pictures as regrettable incidents. He appeared contrite, choosing to move forward. But can Canadians and his supporters?
This is a type of thinking that is consistent with image-building politics and involves dissociation from people who threaten the image being built. It is a type of dichotomous, and seemingly uncaring or facile, thinking that image politics encourages and even fosters.
The question of forgiveness and moving forward is more complex than this for Canadians. People are dividing into three groups.
First are those who believe in focusing on intention, and like the Trudeau image. They may forgive him for the pictures and record of behaviour because outright racism does not fit their view of him. It just doesn’t ring true. They will be more inclined to accept the apologies as sincere. Many Liberals fall into this category.
The second group focuses on the effects of the actions. Many people see the pictures as conveying racist messages, whether intended or not. They view such actions as being unforgivable because of the hurt they cause to so many people who face racism often in their daily lives. People in this group who like the Trudeau image will struggle to reconcile his actions with the image of a leader who is benevolent and inclusive. Many will feel betrayed and unsettled.
The third group never accepted the Trudeau image, or disliked or distrusted it. They may see the pictures and past actions as confirming their original suspicions of politicians and this politician in particular. Many supporters of other parties may fall into this group.
Canadians, like so many others, want to believe in their leaders — particularly in such a changing world — and yet there is an increasing distrust of politicians in an era of image politics. Events like this deepen cynicism, public disaffection with political leaders and drive a wedge among people in Canada. People wonder what is true and what is image? In the end, democracy suffers.
Kathy L. Brock is a Professor and Senior Fellow at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, Kingston.
Canadians, like so many others, want to believe in their leaders — particularly in such a changing world.
KaTHY BROCK