From ‘blackface’ to a dream of Technicolor unity

This is a teaching moment, Rabbi Reuven Bulka writes.

Are we allowed to dream in technicolour? I sure hope so, because herein I share with you my technicolour, or multi-party, dream.

We are always warned to expect the unexpected during an election campaign. The unexpected came pretty early, via pictures of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, on different occasions, coloured in black or brownface. There is little that all the parties agree on, but there is strong agreement that black or brownfacing is wrong, insensitive and insulting.

This has played itself out as a political matter, but it is much more than that. It is a matter that strikes at the core of who we are as human beings.

So, for the moment, let’s remove politics from this. Let’s remove names from this, and just look at what happened and why it is so important.

We all have done things in our life that, as we get older, we regret. With our sophisticated and retentive social media, the past is more likely to haunt in a visible way. We need to ask ourselves if past errors, serious mistakes, disqualify the transgressor from public office, or public service? With this phrasing, I doubt there are many who would argue that what you did in your youth, or even later, should be held against you — provided you have made genuine amends.

But you would not know this from some of the reactions to the recent publication of the damming pictures. If this is the impression that is conveyed, it would be disappointing at least, and perhaps even tragic. I use the word “tragic” if the implicit message from this discovery of pictures would lead otherwise capable people to withdraw from public service. It may not have been intended, but one could not be faulted for intuiting from the political crossfire that “one strike and you are out.”

Legitimate regret, maturing, learning lessons, growing from those lessons — if we take all that

We need to ask ourselves if past errors, serious mistakes, disqualify the transgressor from public office

away, we have unfairly deprived so many people of a chance to make a difference. Who gives anyone that right?

We are in the midst of a teaching moment, right in the midst of a federal election campaign.

In this teaching moment, I dream that the political leaders from all parties take a break from the campaign to meet together, whether in person or by other means, to agree to a statement that would be made public, and soon. Here is that statement:

We, the leaders of all parties contesting the 2019 federal election, agree to the following:

Blackfacing, brownfacing for mockery, at any time, in any place, at any age, is wrong.

Likewise, any demeaning of the wide array of minorities who comprise the Canadian mosaic is wrong.

We are all accountable for all of our actions. At the same time, regrettable actions in earlier stages of our lives should not prevent us from serving our country, provided that we have renounced such actions in clear and unequivocal terms.

We all agree to abide by these principles, and will do our best to cease from seeking to harm the reputation of others for political gain.

We will set our focus on presenting our cases to our fellow Canadians on why our policies are the best for our country.

I firmly believe that all our leaders will show true leadership if they do something like this to rectify the potential damage from the chain of reactions we have absorbed in recent days.

Each of the leaders wants to make a difference, and genuinely thinks their party’s policies are the best for our country.

What we need from them is a statement that deals with something even more important and lasting: the messages we send about our behaviour in the short- and long-term; how we must renounce wholesale condemnations for self-serving purposes; and how we must project the importance of getting better, and encouraging it.

Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, C.M., is Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa.